The Path Between the Worlds
by Tavalya Ra
Summary: Ten years later, Dagur returns to Berk demanding a new treaty- and promising war if negotiations fail. Hiccup suspects a trap, but what Dagur really wants stuns him. Hiccup however has his own secret, one he's kept by choice. And when he decides to use it to seize control of both Berk's and the Berserkers' futures, the personal cost is quite different from what he imagined.
1. Prologue

**The Path Between the Worlds**  
>by Tavalya Ra<p>

Summary: Ten years after his last confrontation with Hiccup, Dagur returns to Berk demanding a new treaty- and promising war if negotiations fail. Hiccup suspects a trap and he's right, but what Dagur really wants stuns him. Hiccup however has his own secret, one he's kept by choice. And when he decides to use it to seize control of both Berk's and the Berserkers' futures, the personal cost is quite different from what he imagined.

Notes: AU: Out of continuity with "How to Train Your Dragon 2" and presumably any future seasons of "Dreamworks Dragons".

Rating: R for sex

Warnings: Slash, sex, MPreg, transgender!Hiccup, atrocious Viking flirting.

Disclaimer: "How to Train Your Dragon" is owned by Dreamworks Animation, who I'll never forgive for not doing more with "Megamind", and by Cressida Cowell. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

Stoick had no preference. Boy or girl, it didn't matter to him as long as the child could pick up an ax and swing it at a dragon as any proper Viking could. So when his daughter was born and he first saw the babe, he felt a stab of disappointment. She was small, too small for him to think she'd grow out of it later. Just a hiccup, he said in dismay and that became her name. Hiccup.

The first sign she might be something special was a significant one: the way she talked about herself, that it was clear she didn't think of herself as "she". Stoick didn't know whether he needed to correct her or not. If she wasn't a girl, if she was in-between, that was a mark of blessing- and for that reason, it could not be claimed lightly. He took her to Gothi. The wise woman spent a day with Hiccup and then wrote words in the sand, which Gobber translated.

_"This child walks between the worlds."_

So, not a daughter after all: a son.

* * *

><p>A few months ago Hiccup had traded with Johann for a full-size mirror, one almost as tall as he was. It was the most costly thing he owned- Stoick had shaken his head and called it an extravagance- and he wondered if bartering for it had been a mistake. He had wanted it thinking it would help him maintain how he presented himself, but looking in it only made him anxious. Snotlout and Fishlegs and Tuffnut were now sprouting chest hair, while he was sprouting… something else.<p>

At least he was growing vertically as well. He prayed that when puberty was done with him, the front of him wouldn't look much different and he would be close to the other boys in height. He pulled the bindings on his wrap a little tighter.

"This was so much easier when I was a little kid and all I had to do was not take my pants off," he said to Toothless.

The Night Fury, who was seated on his rock bed as he waited for Hiccup to dress, gave a rumble of acknowledgement, but otherwise had nothing to offer.

"I know you're probably thinking, 'What's the big deal? So Stormfly can lay an egg and I can't. So what? Why do you get so worked up about it?' Yeah, I wish it was that simple."

He patted his chest and decided this was as good as it was going to get if he still wanted to breathe, then put on his shirt. It helped that he favored looser clothes. And that his voice was naturally fell into a lower register and his shape was lithe rather than-

_Stop it_, he ordered himself. _Stop thinking of it as a problem._

It wasn't a problem. No one on Berk or anywhere in the archipelago would think it was a problem. To them it would be a boon, a sign Hiccup was marked by the gods…

And _that_ was the problem. Hiccup didn't believe that he was touched by Odin or that he had any sort of special power, that he bestowed grace wherever he went just by showing up. To him, that seemed absurd. Being in-between was how he had been born and maybe the gods had decided that for him, but that didn't give him any merit. It wasn't a talent or a skill or knowledge, something he could use to make someone's life better. It just… was.

He could have made his childhood so much easier if he had been open about his status. The villagers still would have thought he was a klutz, but he wouldn't have been considered a nuisance. They would have treated him much gentler, looked at his mistakes more kindly and been quick to forgive them. No one would have dared make fun of him, not even Snotlout, and he would have been the favorite of Gobber's dragon slaying class without having to try.

He hadn't wanted that. His life would have been a joke, respected for something he didn't believe was true of himself, for something he had never earned, knowing that for all the praise and favor he received, he was still an awkward kid who had never done anything important. He had wanted to be recognized for his accomplishments, for being someone and not something- and a few years ago, he had achieved just that. He had made friends with Toothless and brought peace between the dragons and Berk. He was respected now and it was for the right reasons.

Hiccup put on his shirt and his vest. He looked… like himself, he supposed. Keeping this a secret was his choice. Not every in-between did and it was up to Hiccup how loose or narrowly he wanted to follow any standard- if he felt like it, he didn't have to do anything to conceal the first world, he could even overly show or "walk" it. He felt most comfortable keeping strictly to the second world. That was reason enough, but he still feared people would treat him differently if they knew. People would stop arguing with him or offering contrary opinions. People would want him to make decisions they could easily reach themselves and would stick with whatever he said no matter how foolish it might become. Letting everyone think his second world was his only world was still the best course.

Well, maybe not everyone. Right now, only Stoick, Gobber, and Gothi- and Toothless, as much as the dragon might or might not understand- knew he was in-between, but there was someone else Hiccup wanted to allow into the circle.

The thought made him nervous. He'd never told anyone before. His father and Gobber had known from the start. Hiccup didn't know what reaction to expect and he worried what it might change.

"Okay. I'm as ready as I'm going to be. How about you, bud?" he asked Toothless.

Toothless jumped up eagerly. The Night Fury had been ready minutes ago, but although Hiccup's morning ritual had recently become longer, Toothless was patient about it. They left the house and flew to the dragon academy.

Today was an off-day for the students, but Hiccup knew he would find Astrid there- Astrid didn't know the meaning of "off". Sure enough, he found the other Viking in the arena, screaming and swinging her ax at straw Berserkers. At the moment she was practicing solo; Stormfly sat leisurely in the corner, watching.

"Hey, Astrid!"

His call, plus a happy chirp of recognition from Stormfly, got her attention. Astrid stopped and brushed back her hair, which promptly fell over her eye again. Hiccup smiled at that; it was cute.

"Hiccup. I thought you would know better than to interrupt a workout." Her tone was mischievous.

_Good start_, he told himself. He was beginning to feel bubbles in his stomach, which meant he had to watch his mouth. He had a tendency to blather when he was nervous.

"Well, I live dangerously…" Oh no, he was talking stupid already. He should be direct. Direct was good, especially with Astrid, who appreciated bluntness. "I need to talk to you. And the woods are private. If you've got the time."

Putting her hands on her hips, she remarked curiously, "It's pretty private here right now. What is it that you need to go all the way to the woods to say to me?"

"I- uh… I could say it here, I just…"

She smiled. "Hiccup, it's fine. A morning flight would be nice."

They mounted their dragons and took to the sky. Within minutes they had passed over the village and were above the trees. Hiccup had no particular spot in mind, but he knew he could easily find a clearing by the river. He waved a gesture to Astrid, indicating they should start their descent, and they landed along the bank. The area was picturesque, with clear water and colorful flowers, which he guessed was romantic but knew wouldn't matter to Astrid whatsoever. There were a few large, smoothed rocks, which made for a decent bench. They sat while Toothless and Stormfly bobbed heads and friendlily nosed each other.

"So…" Astrid hunched forward, looking eager. "What do you have to tell me?"

Hiccup hoped he was reading her body language right, because if he was, this might be something she wanted to hear.

"We're friends and I want to always be friends," he started. "But I feel like we're compatible in other ways… many ways. More ways! I think… I sound like an idiot. Astrid, would you be interested in… uh… me?"

Wow. He had imagined this going so much more smoothly in his head. If she said no, he probably ought to shake her hand on making a wise decision.

Astrid gave him a pitying look. "You don't know how to talk about this stuff, do you?"

"Not a clue."

"Well, then," she said, lowering her voice to a softer tone, "you're lucky I like you too much to care about that."

She leaned closer towards him and with a jolt, a happy little spark that sent his heart jumping, he realized she was definitely _not_ saying no. She was angling to kiss him.

"Wait," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Wait?" she repeated, looking confused.

"There's something you need to know. It could change things and if it does, I understand. That's why I need to tell you now."

He took a gulp. There was supposed to be a certain ritual to this, words that Stoick had insisted he memorize from Gothi. That script felt wrong for this moment. This was Astrid, his best friend after Toothless, and with her that sort of formality seemed pompous and ill-fitting. He gave her an abridged version.

"I walk between the worlds. This is my second world, Astrid. My first… matches you," he said, lowering his face and waiting for her reaction.

Her response came quickly. "I know."

Hiccup's head snapped up. "You _know_?"

"I mean I suspected," Astrid said. She smiled at him. "Thank you for telling me."

His mind was still too hung up on "I know" to feel the gratitude he ought to for that statement. "What you mean you know? Am I that obvious?"

"I don't think so. I just…watch you." She looked sheepish. "Others aren't interested in you like I am."

"You mean-" As her words registered in his brain, Hiccup shut up. Astrid couldn't possibly be any clearer about her feelings for him and they were exactly what he had hoped. "It's not a problem, then?"

"Why would it be a problem?"

"Because I don't have… I can't… if we ever…" He started moving his hands up and down, as if they were a scale swinging out of balance. "Neither of us has certain parts and if this ever got to a certain point- not to assume that… well, obviously, I'd like that someday, but I'm not-"

Astrid laughed. The trilling sound was a break in the tension, relieving Hiccup. He may have sounded incredibly stupid, but he got the sense she understood.

"Hiccup." She placed her hand over his. "I like you. I like _all_ of you, including this."

She moved forward again and this time Hiccup let her kiss him.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Hiccup unrolled the parchment on Gobber's worktable and studied the designs. Crossing his arms, he tapped his finger against his sleeve.

"Full armor. Doesn't seem like something you wear to a peace talk," he remarked.

"Aye. Well, Stoick's being cautious," Gobber said. "That's why you're getting plate."

"Are you serious? You know how heavy that's going to be."

"It'll be Gronckle iron. And don't forget, the other chief has a habit of throwing knives at you."

"Actually, last time it was a net." Hiccup sighed. "Guess it was too much to hope that I'd never see Dagur again."

Ten years. That had been the last time Hiccup had seen Dagur, when the Berserker had been squirming in Alvin's choke hold. For a time after, the archipelago had enjoyed peace. Then, somehow, Dagur had escaped whatever Alvin had done with him. Berk had kept well away from the resulting clash between the Outcasts and the Berserkers- but the Berserkers had won, news of which Berk had learned just days before the armada itself appeared on their horizon.

Hiccup had warned Dagur that Berk wasn't afraid to use its dragons and Stoick truly had not been- he had ordered a preemptive strike, before any boat could come close to Berk's shore. As the first line of ships had burned, the rest of the armada had retreated. The next two skirmishes had followed in the same pattern. After that, without any explanation other than the unlikely one that Dagur had learned better than to tangle with the riders of Berk, the attacks had stopped.

One year of war. Nine years of silence. Then, last week, a small ship bearing the Skrill crest yet also a flag of truce had shown up at the docks with a message- Dagur wanted to negotiate a peace treaty and asked that the talks take place on Berk.

"This is a trap," Hiccup declared. "Dagur doesn't want peace. Why would he? Which means he's after something else. I wish we could have turned that messenger away empty-handed."

"But you understand why your father didn't do that, right?" Gobber asked.

"Yes. If Dad rejected Dagur's offer without even trying, it would definitely be war. Talking means there's a chance we might get a treaty out of this… or it will be a big waste of everyone's time and then it will be war." He frowned. "Why did Dagur have to come back? Why can't he terrorize some other island?"

"Maybe he means it. You never know. It's been ten years. I imagine he's grown up a bit. You certainly have- look at you!" Gobber laughed. "Who knew you'd get to be so tall?"

"It was a nice surprise," Hiccup agreed. Certain physical changes he had expected- some of them dreaded- going through puberty, but he'd never imagined that he'd grow from being the shortest among his friends to the tallest. His height was respectable for a man of Berk.

"Mmm…" Gobber coughed into his hand and then said, "Hiccup, there's something on Stoick's mind that you should know."

"What? Really?" he asked, puzzled. "What is there that Dad wouldn't just tell me himself- Oh."

There was one subject area, just one, where Stoick the Vast feared to tread. Instead, he'd always dumped that particular duty on Gobber. Fortunately, Gobber was always through in attending to the task.

"This has nothing to do with Dagur, does it?"

"I should hope not," Gobber replied with a chortle. "Stoick's feeling a bit… anxious."

"About?"

Gobber told him.

* * *

><p>"Dagur's coming!" Ruffnut declared from atop Barf's back. "You know what that means!"<p>

"Blood and death!" Tuffnut shouted.

"Death and blood!"

"Man-time," added Snotlout.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and decided to stay out of the conversation, keeping his attention directed towards the ground. The riders were doing a fly over the island to make sure their defenses were still in shape for the Berserkers' arrival. While Astrid and Fishlegs were each leading a group of students, Hiccup- who was semi-retired- was stuck with the other graduates of his own class, who happened to be the only people excited Dagur was making an appearance. Of course, the twins just liked destruction and Snotlout liked muscles.

Hiccup wondered what Dagur looked like now. Bigger, no doubt, and that was a terrifying thought when he'd already had the physical prowess to pick up Hiccup and chuck him. But as intimidating as the idea of Dagur might be or as irritating as the present company liked to be, neither of these were foremost in Hiccup's mind.

His conversation with Gobber a few days ago hadn't told him anything he didn't already know- it was something of which Hiccup was well aware, but preferred to think of sparingly. He would deal with it later, he would wait until he was ready. But talking to Gobber had stirred up some emotions he hadn't expected. For once, certain unavoidable aspects of this didn't seem completely overwhelming. And the end result, well, Hiccup had always wanted that.

He needed to speak to Astrid.

"Everything looks good on our end," he said after a few more minutes of flying. "Let's head back to the academy."

They were the first to return, but they were the group of the most experienced riders. Hiccup felt a sense of fond nostalgia for the empty arena, the straw Vikings and obstacle course equipment waiting to be set up. He rarely saw the academy in an untouched state nowadays. A few years ago, Stoick had told Hiccup it was time he focused more on learning the duties of chiefdom. Knowing his father was right, he had reluctantly turned over the academy to Astrid and Fishlegs. He still taught here on occasion- as much as Stoick's demands and Toothless' needs allowed- but none of the students he could call his own anymore. He missed it.

The twins took advantage of the lack of students to use Snotlout for target practice. Hookfang watched with his usual apathy. Eventually Fishlegs' team came back and reported that Astrid and her students were dealing with a rock fall; they would be tied up for awhile and more hands would hinder rather than help the job. Of course, Hiccup thought, it was just his luck that a minor calamity would strike when he was anxious to talk to his girlfriend.

Ruffnut announced it was time for an impromptu obstacle course run and Fishlegs agreed. Set up took about an hour and was used as a training exercise as the students guided their dragons in aiding in the construction. The actual course runs took less time and tear down was quick since the twins decided to let everyone take the destructive route. Hiccup tried to let the chaos distract him, but remained apprehensive. Toothless picked up on that and bumped his nose against his side, asking for some affection. Knowing his dragon was really trying to soothe him and not the other way around, Hiccup petted him fondly.

By the time training was done, it was late afternoon and everyone was tired. The other riders went home; Hiccup remained.

Twilight came and finally Astrid returned. She looked weary, but in the peak of energy compared to the students behind her. Hiccup wasn't sure he'd want her as his instructor; she ran her charges ragged, but most of them considered it a point of prestige to try keeping up with her.

"Yeech. Rough day?" he asked.

"Nothing I can't handle," she answered, sliding off Stormfly's back. "The northern shore is safe and secure. Guess we missed everyone?"

"Just the twins' usual exercises in sadism. I'll give you the highlights."

He followed her and the students as they unsaddled their dragons and put away their gear. Most of the dragons still slept in the academy at night; the students were required to reach a certain level of proficiency before they could take them home. Clean up took longer than usual thanks to how tired the kids were and Hiccup knew better than to offer a hand. Astrid wouldn't want it and she would tell him he was coddling them. It was her academy now, not his, and he respected that. Finally, the last straggler returned his mace to the rack and trudged out the gate, leaving him and Astrid alone.

"Can we talk?" Hiccup asked.

"I thought there was something on your mind," Astrid said, brushing the hair out of her eyes. As usual, the gesture's effect lasted only a few seconds. "Are you worried about seeing Dagur again?"

"What? Oh, no." Hiccup waved his hand. "That subject is furthest from my mind. This and Dagur will _never_ meet. That would be… no."

She laughed. "Okay, wrong guess. I'll let you tell me."

"I… uh. Okay." Hiccup gathered his thoughts and, with a slight smile, said, "So a few days ago, Gobber passed along to me something that is worrying my father."

"Huh?" Astrid raised an eyebrow. "What is there your dad wouldn't tell you himself?"

"My first thought, too! But there is one thing in this world that frightens Dad and it's my…" Hiccup thought better of finishing that sentence. "You know who told me where babies come from? Gobber. You know who explained to me how a man and woman or a matched pair works? Gobber. You know who told me- thank gods _before_ I got it- about the monthly cycle? Gobber. My dad is an absolute coward when it comes to this subject."

"I now know too much about you fa- wait!" she exclaimed. "Was this a first world thing?"

"Oh boy, it was," he confirmed. "Dad is… how did Gobber put it? Dad is concerned that he won't get to meet his grandchildren before he goes to Valhalla."

"Oh. Oh no," Astrid said. He could tell she was trying to seem sympathetic, but she sounded too amused, almost laughing.

"'You're not getting any younger either, Hiccup'," he repeated one of Gobber's lines, shaking his cupped hand in imitation of the man's hook. "I… cracked and told him about the plan."

"The plan?" she repeated. "You mean _the_ plan?"

"Yeah. That plan."

The plan was Hiccup's only chance of preserving his anchorage in the second world while still carrying a child. Once he was pregnant, he and his wife would go on a "vacation" or retreat or whatever excuse worked best for as long as it took and then come back with the baby already in arms. The plan was a long-shot; with such suspicious timing, not everyone would be fooled, but to those who figured out what Hiccup was, his actions would send a clear message on how he expected to be treated. He didn't think it would completely work- some Berkians would still change their manner around him, giving him the reverence they thought an in-between was due- but it seemed by far his best option. Certainly much better than blowing his secret by waddling around Berk with a swollen belly.

If he weren't the son of the chief of Berk- if he weren't eventually going to be chief himself- he could have avoided this. Children wouldn't have to be of his own blood; a wife could quietly step outside the marriage to conceive offspring for the both of them. That was what other spouses of in-betweens or partners in a hearth marriage did. But he was heir to Berk and had known his entire life this duty loomed in his future. And, truthfully, he wasn't sure he would say no to this even if he felt it were an option. He knew Astrid didn't care about blood, but he was a little more selfish than that; he wanted to see himself in his child, even if it was only a tiny spark, like the pieces of Stoick that he knew were in him.

"I think," he said, "that I'm ready for the plan."

Astrid's mouth slowly gaped open and she blinked.

"What are you saying?" Her voice was hushed and just a little excited.

"I think I'm ready," he repeated. "The kid thing was never a problem. I like the idea of a little guy I get to teach about dragons and life and how awesome this archipelago is and everything! I want that. It's the whole 'walking my first world' that seems icky and a horrible joke Odin came up with."

"Ha! Why do you think I don't want to do it?" Astrid asked.

"Thanks for the support," Hiccup retorted. "Aren't you lucky, I have to do it for us."

"Is it my fault you're the perfect man?"

"Now you're just being weird."

Putting her hands on her hips, she questioned, "You said 'us'. So does that mean…?"

Hiccup smiled and, in a bold gesture, snatched up her hand and dropped onto his knee. "Astrid Hofferson, will you marry me?"

"Well," she said, tilting her head and smiling back, "it certainly took you long enough to ask. But yes, I will."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"So, what do you think of all this?" Hiccup asked Toothless as they walked back to the village.

Toothless opened his mouth and gave him a gummy smile.

Hiccup laughed. "That's what I thought."

Dragons liked babies. It was a strong clue that gentleness was more their nature than the aggressive state the Red Death had imposed upon them. They could smell them, or so Hiccup thought; he had no other explanation for why, whenever any woman in the village became pregnant, dragons started following her around and trying to nose her belly. Thankfully, they also backed off when told to stop it.

"Yeah, you'll be happy, Dad and Astrid will be happy… I'd be happier if it weren't for the icky part, but that's temporary. And it… might not be terrible, right?" He sighed. "What am I saying? It's me, of course it's going to be terrible."

He entered his home, holding the door open for Toothless to follow behind him. Inside, Stoick sat by the fire nursing a mug of mead. The years had touched his hair and beard with gray but he seemed hardly, as Gobber had suggested, on his way to Odin's great hall.

"Hi, Dad."

"Hiccup. You're later than I expected," Stoick remarked.

He waved the mug, a gesture offering Hiccup to help himself to the tankard if he wanted. Hiccup shook his head.

"There was something I had to wait on. By the way, did Gobber mention he spoke with me?"

Stoick gave a heavy sigh. "Blast that old meddler. I told him not to say anything!"

"Wait, what?" Hiccup asked in confusion. "You didn't ask him to ask me about…?"

"I have no right to ask you to do that."

"Then how did this come up?" He felt bewildered. He'd just committed himself to several major life choices because of what he had assumed were his father's anxieties. He wasn't upset by that- they were decisions that had been looming in his future regardless of Stoick- but he was disoriented. "We're talking about the same thing right? Continuing the family line?"

Stoick shook his head in aggravation. "We got a bit too far into the cups the other night and I said…"

"You want to meet your grandchildren before you get to Valhalla," Hiccup finished flatly.

His father, in a rare sight, looked embarrassed. "Well… if there's to be grandchildren…"

"Of course, there will be. It's my duty to Berk."

With a solemn look, Stoick said, "Your duty is to leave behind a successor. There are other ways."

Adopt an heir. Hiccup knew that was an option. But that was supposed to be a chief's last resort, not his first. It surprised him that Stoick would suggest it, when he'd always taken the hard line with everything else. But this was the one area of Hiccup's life where he treaded softly, anxiously even- where the father in Stoick overruled the chief.

"No," Hiccup said, startled by the firmness of his own voice. "If I do that, then having my own child is one more thing I've been denied because the gods decided to make my life awkward. I don't want to walk my first world, but I do want what will come of it. I can put up with nine months of horrible weirdness if it means I get to have the life I want. Dad… I've asked Astrid to marry me."

Stoick was startled. "She knows, I take it?"

_You know she knows_, Hiccup almost said. According to Astrid, Stoick had once caught her trying to sneak out of Hiccup's room just before dawn. The two of them had stared at each other and then walked away without exchanging a word.

"Yes, she knows. And she and I have a plan to take care of the baby thing."

"Take care how?"

"You don't really need the details, do you?" Gobber's suggestion, to marry Astrid and then "take a tumble with a nice lad", was what Hiccup had in mind anyway and was something best not repeated to Stoick. He had yet to decide who this "nice lad" would be, but he intended to keep the identity a secret, if for no other reason than to prevent his father from putting said lad's head on a pike. "Astrid knows what I have to do and she'll support me through it. Give me a year, Dad. That's how soon this might happen."

"And this is what you want?"

Hiccup felt confused. He had thought Stoick would take this news with more enthusiasm and replied, "I just said it was, didn't I?"

"I'm pleased with how seriously you're taking your responsibilities. I'm proud of you, son. But it is my hope than you can have a bit of happiness, too."

So, that was what it was. Stoick worried Hiccup might be making all his personal decisions out of obligation. There was no denying that drove many of his choices, but that didn't mean he dreaded the future they would create. The life he saw ahead of him, a household with Toothless and a spouse and a child, was a bright one.

"I am happy," he said. "Come on, Dad. Don't pretend this doesn't make you happy because you think _I_ might be pretending it does. I'm not."

"Well, then. This…" Stoick's eyes brightened and he bounded up from his chair, raising his arms. "This is wonderful news! Congratulations, son! She's the finest lass in all the archipelago."

"Yeah," he said, smiling sheepishly. "I can agree with that."

"We'll make a formal announcement. Tomorrow, after I've spoken with her parents. Then- oh, scratch that." Stoick shook his head and unexpectedly growled. "I'm sorry, this has to wait. It'll be better if we keep the excitement until _after_ peace talks with the Berserkers. I don't think Dagur will take well to something other than himself as the center of attention."

"I thought of that, actually. I don't want our news getting spoiled by him showing up a few days later either," Hiccup said. "Astrid and I agreed to keep this to ourselves until the Berserkers are gone. Shouldn't be more than a month, right?"

"I hope so," Stoick answered. "Whatever you do, don't tell Gobber. He won't be able to contain himself. He'll be designing the bridal armor right there in the great hall while we're clanging axes with the Berserkers. It'd be a mess."

"I won't. I promise," Hiccup said with a laugh.

"Bah! Enough about the Berserkers. This is something to celebrate!" Stoick thunked his mug against the table. "Let's have some mead."

* * *

><p>That, thought Hiccup with some relief, settled the baby problem for now. He had put up a good front for Astrid and Stoick, but the truth was that while he was looking forward to having a baby, the process of creating one still made him want to whimper at best- at worst, tempted him to run for the woods screaming. He was committed to the plan, but he had months to go before he would act on it and in the meantime, a distraction was welcome. Unfortunately, the only one he had presently was preparing for Dagur's arrival.<p>

Between worrying over pregnancy or Dagur, Hiccup wasn't sure which was the lesser evil. For now, he was going with Dagur. And just what did he feel about the Berserker chief? He had plenty of ground for hating Dagur, yet he found his feelings towards the other man were not quite as intense as that. Dagur the Deranged had named himself well. The other Viking was crazy, and that made Hiccup wonder how much of what Dagur did he could honestly help, if violence was the only way he knew how to communicate. After all, that wasn't how Oswald the Agreeable would have chosen to raise his son. And that thought brought Hiccup to the odd point of commonality he and Dagur shared: they had both spent half of their lives in their fathers' shadows. In Hiccup's case, he had been desperate to please Stoick; Dagur had taken a darker turn, choosing to reject everything Oswald had wanted him to be.

In a way, Hiccup _could_ understand some of what drove Dagur to his terrible choices, but it was a bad motive for even worse decisions, especially now that they knew the end of the story: half the Berserker armada burned and sunk to the ocean floor. No, he didn't hate Dagur, even though he probably should. He just felt very, very frustrated whenever he thought too deeply about him.

Maybe Gobber's point would prove right- it had been ten years, maybe something about Dagur had changed. Maybe. Hiccup wasn't going to hold his breath for it.

Gobber finished Hiccup's new armor in addition to reinforcing an older set of mail for Stoick. He had coated the plate with another alloy that cut down on the reflective sheen of the Gronckle iron and also made it look golden rather than silvery. Matching spaulders covered his shoulders and upper arms, and attached at the bottom was a studded leather skirt slit at the sides for mobility. Completing the set was a belt- purely ornamental as it fitted over the chest plate- with the Berk crest.

"I want you to be wearing this at all times, not just when we're talking in the great hall," Stoick instructed.

"You don't think that's a little bit… overkill?" Hiccup asked.

"The Berserkers are going to have free run of the village. And you told me Dagur tried to take your head off with an ax!"

"Yeah, but my impression is that wasn't so special." That one time with the net disturbed Hiccup more. He needed to remember to sharpen his knife.

"You've got to be careful," Stoick insisted, "especially as Toothless won't be there to watch your back."

"Wait. What?"

"I trust Dagur around your dragon- or any dragon- as much as I would trust him alone with you. While he's here, I'm removing them from the village."

"You can't be serious!" Hiccup exclaimed. "Dad, our dragons are the one thing that kept back the armada-"

"Which is precisely why the dragons are the thing likeliest to set that mad fool off," his father said. "I have my suspicion these talks are sham, but I intend to give them a fair shot, so we'll do what we can to make an environment that will keep his Derangedness calm."

"But without our dragons…" Hiccup almost flailed his arms. Bad enough to face Dagur for the first time in a decade, but to do so without Toothless at his side- for moral support, even if not as backup! "Dad, if this is a trap, we will need our dragons to defeat it!"

"I am aware of that," answered Stoick. "You're going to take the student riders to that cove we used during the Speed Stinger invasion. They'll stay there, where they'll be safe, until the Berserkers are gone. Meanwhile, Toothless and the other mature dragons will stay at the academy, with a rider there at all times. We'll keep a few trained Terrors here with us, out of sight. If something should happen, we'll send a message to both sites and you run for Toothless. It's not as good as having our dragons with us, but we'll still be prepared."

Hiccup sighed. He hated this plan, because he knew he would feel exposed and lost without Toothless, but he understood Stoick's reasoning- and, grudgingly, he agreed with it. Anything to temper Dagur's craziness was good. And Hiccup would much rather have himself as the Berserker's knife-throwing target than his dragon.

"Let me guess. You want me to handle the migration?" he asked.

"Aye." Stoick nodded. "Get to it."

* * *

><p>Predictably, no one was happy about relocating the dragons. Some of the dissent quieted after Hiccup explained Stoick's logic and contingency plan. To shut down the remaining grumbling, he pulled a line from his father's repertoire.<p>

"This is not a debate, it's an order. Start moving!"

The students at least seemed enthusiastic about camping in the woods and they weren't being left completely to their own resources. Hiccup, with Stoick's approval, had determined that one of the academy headmasters would stay with them. Fishlegs and Meatlug would handle the first session; after several days, Astrid and Stormfly would relieve them and the two pairs would switch off as many times as necessary until the Berserkers went home.

Once the students were settled, Hiccup flew back with Astrid, Snotlout, and the twins to the academy. Dagur would arrive tomorrow and there was no telling when in the day that would be, so they had to secure their dragons now.

"I hate leaving you behind, bud," Hiccup murmured, stroking Toothless' head as he looked into his dragon's eyes. He pressed his forehead against Toothless' snout, trying to draw comfort and reassurance from the Night Fury while he still could. He petted his dragon again and then reluctantly drew away. "Keep the others in line. I know you will. I'll visit you if I can. I'll miss you, Toothless."

The general mood was pessimistically somber as the riders left the academy. Hiccup hung back so that he could walk with Astrid.

"You're really going to sit in on all the talking sessions?" Astrid asked, taking his hand.

"Yeah. I'm next in line and I'm not a kid anymore. I have to make an appearance at these things now. Besides, it'll be good experience." Or so he hoped. That depended on whether these talks actually led to a treaty or would be nothing more than Stoick and Dagur growling at each other and grinding axes.

"I don't like this," she declared, suddenly looking fierce. "I don't like you spending so much time around Dagur. He's obsessed with you."

Hiccup gave her a baffled glance. "What? He's obsessed with Toothless, not me, and he dropped that during the Skrill incident. He's just obsessive because he's crazy. It doesn't mean anything."

"Aren't you worried what he's really after? It's not peace- there's another reason he's coming to Berk and it probably has to do with you."

"Okay, yeah, but probably because the reason is dragons and Dagur knows I'm all about that," he said. "Of course, I'm worried. But I can't do anything until I've got some idea of Dagur's plans. For now, I have to wait. But I'll be careful, Astrid. I promise."

"Alright. I trust you, Hiccup." She glanced around. "We're alone. Can we talk about…?"

She reached out her hand, lightly splaying her fingers against Hiccup's abdomen. Hiccup jumped back.

"Woah, woah, what is this?" he asked. He was jarred by the sudden topic change- and even more so by the subject she'd chosen. He pushed her hand away. "Astrid, there's nothing happening with that right now."

"I know, but I'm excited," she said, smiling at him. Her eyes did have an appreciable sparkle, he noted. "It's finally going to happen-"

"Not for months. Do we really have to talk about this?"

"We have to plan. We have to decide who… you know, who is going to..."

"Do the honors?" he finished and sighed. "You realize how much I hate even thinking about this? I have to… uhn… with some other man who I have to put the fear of the gods into so he'll never breathe a word of it- do we have to talk about this now? Dagur is coming tomorrow. One nerve-wracking thing at time, please."

"Maybe it won't be so bad? We can find somebody nice who I can scare if he gets any ideas."

"Yeah, sure. How about you watch? You can sit in the corner and grind your ax while our chosen one climbs on top of me as I lie back and think of Berk- can we please not talk about this now?" he demanded, starting to get irritated.

Why would Astrid bring up the subject today? It was wretched timing and there wasn't anything to be done about it at this moment. He knew she really wanted a baby, but sometimes it disturbed him. It was his body, not hers, that was getting pledged to the cause. Yet given how necessary that arrangement was for him, he hesitated to complain about her enthusiasm for it.

Hiccup continued, "I think my sense of self-preservation and horror should be focused on surviving Dagur first. And then, I promise, we can talk babies and how to make them all you want. Okay?"

"Sorry. Thinking about our future makes me happy, and I think we're going to need a few happy thoughts to survive the next few weeks." She quickly kissed his cheek. "I wish this was easier on you. I won't bring it up again, not until you tell me you're ready."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Hiccup put on his new armor. It was lighter than he had expected thanks to the Gronckle iron and he had to admit he liked the way it looked on him. This was a rare occasion he appreciated his reflection in the mirror.

"Still, doesn't seem fair to get all dressed up for Dagur. He hardly deserves…" Hiccup's voice trailed off as he looked towards Toothless' empty rock slab. "Oh. Right."

He missed Toothless already. These peace talks were going to be miserable.

Downstairs, Stoick was waiting with breakfast. They ate in tense silence, which Hiccup found unsurprising; he had anticipated his father's mental state would be a focused disconsolation with the Berserkers soon arriving.

This really was not fair, Hiccup thought. If Dagur were anything but a chief, they could treat him like the thug and bully he had proven himself to be. But unless he died or the Berserkers decided to oust him themselves, Berk was stuck negotiating with him. Any peace treaty only had a prayer of working if they deliberately overlooked Dagur's past misdeeds- and even then, it hinged upon Dagur's future behavior being different.

Dagur was the one suing for peace. Maybe that was a sign he had changed, but more likely this was a trap. The simplest possibility was that Dagur might want the talks to fail to provide him an easy excuse for war. But given that the man self-identified as deranged, his motivation could be something as petty as wanting to harass Hiccup.

_What a pleasant thought_, Hiccup quipped to himself. At least this time, there would be a sheet of metal between him and Dagur if the other man got touchy-feely. Their one weird night together on Dragon Island had just been awkward.

Towards noon a horn sounded and soon after Gobber dashed into the house with the news. Three ships with the Berserker crest had been spotted- the number Dagur had promised, which was hardly the full armada, but carried enough soldiers to cause trouble if their chief was so inclined. They walked down to the docks with a group of Berkian warriors handpicked by Stoick. Everyone was armed and armored, but Hiccup's plating stood out thanks to the color- maybe that hadn't been Gobber's best idea, since it would make him a target for Dagur's eye if nothing else. Hiccup wished again that Toothless were with him.

The first ship pulled up to the dock. With a thunk, a wood plank lowered- and the first man off the boat completely ignored it, choosing to jump over the ship's railing instead. The plats of his skirt flared up, revealing a glimpse of powerful thigh muscles bulging against tight leather pants. Hiccup, in spite of himself, stared.

Wow. That was a man certainly capable of mounting a dragon. The skirt dropped back down as the man landed with a thud and Hiccup's eye roamed upward. Those impressive legs lead to a tapered waist that broadened into a well-defined chest that a thin shirt barely concealed- and the man's sculpted arms were bare, on full display for the world to admire.

Wow. Oh, wow. Hiccup knew that certain men worked for him as well as women, but this was the first time he'd felt such a powerful, immediate jolt of-

What was he doing? Was he really standing here, next to his father and Berk's finest armed for battle, ogling some random Berserker warrior like a dragon in heat?

Oh. Oh no, Hiccup realized, as his gaze traveled to the man's face.

It wasn't a random Berserker warrior.

It was Dagur.

He was ogling _Dagur_.

Dagur turned his head and caught sight of Hiccup. His eyes widened and he gave a crazed, toothy smile. Instead of breaking contact, Hiccup- like an idiot- stared back and gaped.

Wow. Even Dagur's face was worth a good, long gaze-

What was _wrong_ with him? Where had his brain gone? Now, he prayed to Thor, would be great timing for a lightning bolt to smite him.

Dagur crouched down.

"_Hiccup_," he said in a menacing purr. Then, louder and jubilantly, he shouted, "Hiccup!"

He barreled towards him.

If Hiccup had had any presence of mind at all, he might have run away or at least screamed. Instead, he stood frozen and stared at the frantic ball of pure Viking muscle rushing towards him.

Stoick drew his axe, blocking Hiccup's chest.

"Keep back!" he roared.

Dagur stopped just short of smacking straight into Hiccup, but that was his only concession to Stoick's demand. Otherwise ignoring the ax, he leaned over the weapon to push his face far too close to Hiccup's.

"Hello, _Hiccup_. You've changed- look at you! So… shiny," he said and then made a biting sound with his teeth. "I pictured you with a beard, but the clean-shaven look suits you."

"Uh…" Was that an insult? A compliment? "You don't have a beard either."

Dagur gave one of his soft chortles, which jangled the layered plates of his shoulder guards. "Tried it. The ladies didn't like it." Suddenly, what little space was left between them vanished as Dagur pressed his nose to his. "I bet you know all about that, don't you? Want to talk about it later, alone?"

Flustered beyond anything he'd felt before in his life, Hiccup babbled, "Wow. Uh. No. Not so much into the ladies- wait! I don't mean that, I mean… why am I talking? At all?"

"Oh, so you're a man's man. I wasn't sure you'd be up for that challenge-"

"Did you come here for a purpose, Dagur?" Stoick's voice cut in icily.

With an exasperated huff, Dagur pulled away from Hiccup. "Fine. To business." He turned his head towards Stoick with an exaggerated roll and extended his arms. "Fierce and brave of warriors of Berk, the Berserkers come to you with our demands. We want… peace. A new era of unity to rise up. A mutually enjoyable conjugation to bond our tribes." He shot a glance at Hiccup and smirked.

Was it the sun or this horrifying ripple of excitement in Hiccup's stomach that was making him simmer inside his armor? He considered cooling off by jumping into the ocean and letting himself drown.

* * *

><p>Walking through the village, Hiccup's brain began working again and he was mortified. What was <em>wrong<em> with him? Seeing Dagur for the first time in ten years- ten years after multiple attempts to kidnap Toothless and kill everyone on Berk- his reaction hadn't been anger or even mild loathing, but a fire in his pants? Since when had he become so stupidly shallow that a flash of hard muscle rocketed all sense straight out of his head?

For that matter, what was wrong with Dagur? It had been ten years for him, too, and the last time he'd seen Hiccup he had eyed him with murderous intent. What could possibly have inspired him to bound up to Hiccup and suggest they swap manly stories like overly familiar drinking buddies? That was… deranged. And it was far more than Hiccup was comfortable with, especially with his unexpected awareness that Dagur was himself a very manly thing.

"Where are the dragons, Stoick?" Dagur's voice was forceful, but Hiccup heard the petulance in it. During the entire tour, his head had been turned skyward, intensely searching for tail or wing. "I see dragon perches, I see dragon feeders, but no dragons."

"Oh, the dragons?" Hiccup questioned. "They're around. We thought you might not to see them given how well that went last time."

He was being petty and he didn't care. Dagur's first act on Berk had been to charge right into Hiccup's personal bubble and pop it, and Hiccup was furious with himself for how easily the Berserker had completely unbalanced him. He needed to make up for his gawking and stuttering back on the dock.

"Ooo, Hiccup!" Dagur looked over his shoulder at him with something like a leer. "You still have that cute little mouth. I can think of some other uses for it."

_Like kissing your boot?_ "You go first."

Weirdly, Dagur's response to that was to round his lips and raise an eyebrow. What did that mean? "We better get settled then. Where are you having us, Stoick?"

With a harsh mutter under his breath and the shake of his head, Stoick waved his arm. "We have some place where you and your people will have plenty of room for a ruckus."

They led the Berserkers to the far, far side of the village, where a fallow field and the exposed foundation of a house had lain untouched by the Berkians for years: the old site of Mildew's homestead. No one might know exactly what had happened to Alvin, but eventually Mildew's body had been found on Outcast Island. The repose of his corpse- and the dead sheep in his arms- suggested he had passed away in his sleep while fondly holding Fungus. It was a better fate than the bitter old man had deserved. Back on Berk, they had debated what to do with his house and quickly concluded that no one would ever want to live under Mildew's memory; they'd thrown a party and knocked it down. Within the year, nature had reclaimed the field and today it was much greener, sunnier place than Hiccup remembered from his childhood.

Tilting his head, Dagur said, "It'll do for my warriors… but I should think that as one chief to another, you would offer me the hospitality of your home, Stoick."

_Since when have we done that?_ Hiccup wondered in annoyance. Even when Oswald had visited, he and Dagur had never stayed in their house.

"Sorry," he chirped in a tone that was anything but. "Not enough beds."

Turning towards Hiccup- and giving him an oddly self-satisfied grin- Dagur replied, "I can share."

"With Toothless? Sure. He likes to set his bed on fire- not a problem, right?"

"Oh, I was hoping to work up a good sweat in your-"

Gobber sailed between them, waving hand and hook and announcing, "Alright now, Dagur, I bet you and your Berserkers are tired after such a long journey. Why don't we save the rest of getting reacquainted for dinner tonight! Feast in the great hall! Yum!"

Dagur curled up his lip in a sneer of irritation, then huffed and glared at Gobber. "Fine. As long as Hiccup sits next to me."

"Why?" Hiccup retorted.

"Splendid!" Gobber declared, fooling nobody. Hiccup's eye caught Stoick shaking his head in resignation. "You get settled and we'll get to work on the food!"

Dagur rolled his eyes and waved his hand backwards, signaling that everyone could leave.

A few Berkians stayed to keep a watch on the Berserkers, conspicuously throwing around the excuse that they were waiting to see if any assistance was required, while Stoick stomped away and the rest followed. Once Mildew's field was well beyond sight, Gobber hooked Hiccup by the arm and yanked him aside.

"What?" Hiccup asked, startled.

"What were you doing?" Gobber hissed. His face was concerned.

"What do you mean?"

"Talking like you were trying to pick a fight with Dagur. Stoick wants us to try to keep the Berserkers calm- keeping the peace around here is going to be hard as it is without you rubbing your sense of wit against their chief."

Hiccup sighed. Gobber was right. His behavior towards Dagur just now had been far less than exemplary and he was lucky that Stoick had been too irritated himself with the other chief to note his own son acting childishly.

"I'm sorry. He's just… so frustrating!"

In so many ways. Ways Hiccup had never imagined he would feel and would not be sharing with Gobber- or anybody.

"You've got to be the better man in this, Hiccup. I know it feels like there's not much reward in it, but it's for the good of Berk. I'm not saying pretend you like him- that's my job and it's giving me an ulcer," Gobber confessed. "Just… consider if it really needs to be said."

"I will, but this almost makes me wish we could go back to the days when we settled this with axes."

Gobber gave a laugh. "Sounds like being around Dagur is putting a little touch of Berserker in you."

"That's a scary thought," Hiccup said. "I'll do better, starting tonight at the feast. You're not really going to put me next to him, are you?"

"Well…" Gobber looked sheepish.

"Oh, no. Really?"

"Dagur asked, so it might go a ways towards showing him we want things patched. And you have to admit, he's always had surprisingly good table manners. Better than Oswald did."

"Yeah, Oswald always smacked his lips. Nice guy, but I could never watch him eat."

Gobber smiled and, satisfied with their conversation, left for the great hall to make preparations. Hiccup, however, still felt ill-at-ease and unsure of himself. He would gladly trade Dagur's eating habits for the Berserker chief to gain a better temperament or a little more sanity. But he would forgo either of those to erase the image of Dagur's provocative flash of leg from his memory.

These peace talks were going to be torture.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

There was no faulting Dagur's table manners, but his table conversation Hiccup could have done without. The other man fixated weirdly on Hiccup's plate and incessantly asked if Hiccup was going to eat that or if Hiccup had eaten enough. He also kept trying to grab Hiccup's arm. It took the greater part of Hiccup's willpower not to punch Dagur in the face when the Berserker succeeded. Thankfully all Dagur did with it was give a squeeze, grin, and then let Hiccup go.

The next morning, Hiccup snuck down to the academy to visit Toothless. The other senior riders minus Fishlegs were there, gathered in a circle in the arena.

"That Dagur," Ruffnut drawled. She had a dreamy, demented look on her face. "Now _that_ is a man."

"Eww. How can you say that?" Astrid asked, leaning away from her. "He's a violent, bloodthirsty maniac."

"I'm not saying I want to ride his dragon. I'm saying it's too bad he's too crazy even for me or I _would_ want to ride his dragon."

"What a thought," Hiccup remarked without thinking.

Oh, Thor. _What_ a thought. No, Thor had nothing to do with this. It had to be Loki.

Astrid turned towards him with a look of concern. "You okay?"

"Uh…" He smiled sheepishly. "Just trying to keep down breakfast."

Snotlout, whose opinion absolutely no one had asked, said, "I'd do him anyway. Like Ruffnut said, that is a man."

"Woah." Tuffnut wobbled his head in Snotlout's direction. "I didn't know you visited both camps."

"Neither did I," Astrid said.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Astrid. It's because I'm a real man," Snotlout told her, flexing his arm. "Want to learn more about that?"

"No, thanks," she chimed. "I already have a real man."

He snorted. "More like a real boy. Hey, Hiccup, when are you going to grow a beard?"

"When you grow a better personality," Hiccup retorted. Yeah, like he hadn't heard that one before. Behind his back he knew others whispered that he still looked more like a youth than a man. The comments bothered Hiccup less than they might under other circumstances; if the villagers thought his appearance was acceptable gossip fodder, that meant they had no idea what he was. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Oh, come on, Hiccup," Snotlout protested. "Dagur: hot or not?"

Volcanic.

"Not having this conversation."

The group broke up shortly after that, each person wanting to commune with his or her dragon. Hiccup and Toothless trotted into one of the pens for privacy. Seeking little more than strength from their bond, Hiccup pressed his head against Toothless and petted him. Even if they were alone, he wasn't sure what he could say to the Night Fury. His thoughts were a confused muddle he didn't want to explore himself.

He felt so irritated with Dagur for having such a crazed and obnoxious personality, for acting as if the worst parts of ten years ago hadn't happened, and for being so ridiculously, stupefyingly handsome. That last one was more Hiccup's problem than Dagur's and it made him furious at himself. If he could call anyone his worst enemy at the moment, it was probably Dagur. His mind simply should not be capable of making evaluations about the man's physical appeal, much less respond to them! It was mortifying and he couldn't imagine confessing it anyone, not even Toothless.

One by one the other riders left. Then Astrid entered the pen.

"We're alone," she said. "Can we talk?"

Something had her worried, he could tell from her tone and the look in her eyes. He nodded and said, "Sure. What's on your mind?"

"I watched you and Dagur at the feast last night. He was… touchy."

"He's always touchy. I don't think he knows what personal space is."

"Yes, but…" Briefly, she looked distressed. "What Snotlout mentioned earlier, it got me thinking. We don't know which 'camp' Dagur likes. What if it's both? What if it's yours?"

Her words landed in uncomfortably close territory to Hiccup's current thoughts. Nervously, he laughed. "He'd be in for a surprise then."

"Don't joke!" she exclaimed. She sounded angry, but in a way that told him she was alarmed. "What if he _is_ interested and he tries getting close? What if he gets too close? He could find out what you are and that could make things worse!"

Hiccup paused. When so few knew that he was in-between, Dagur was one of the last people he would want to have that knowledge, but what would the other man be able to do with it? Logically, Hiccup couldn't think of anything.

"Astrid, I don't follow. Of course, I don't want that happen, but how would that create a bad situation?"

"How do you not see it?" she asked. "When things are as bad as they've been between tribes, treaties like this usually need blood to seal them. Assuming Dagur isn't in-between himself-"

"Ha! That'd be some coincidence."

"-it means that you and he could… you two could…"

He suddenly caught her meaning and felt as if he had crashed face-first off Toothless onto the shoals.

"Woah!" he called out, raising his hands. "No. That would _never_ happen."

"How can you be sure?" she demanded. Her voice had a desperate pitch; for whatever reason, this idea troubled her deeply, as if she really believed it could happen.

"Astrid, relax," he said, taking her hands. "First of all, Dagur's not interested in me that way. If he was, by now he would have tried humping my leg or something- he's too impulsive to resist an urge like that. Second, let's visit that worst-case scenario, Dagur finding out I'm in-between. If he does, he can't _do_ anything. It's taboo- he has to keep everything in my second world unless I give him permission otherwise. He's not allowed to even mention my first world exists. So he couldn't just march up to Dad and demand to marry me- assuming he'd even want that and I can't imagine why he would."

"But…" She paused, still looking distressed. "You said yourself, Hiccup, Dagur has a habit of not respecting boundaries. What if that includes this one?"

Oh. That was an ugly thought, but he forced himself to examine it.

"It wouldn't happen. If it did, everyone would think Dagur just spat in Odin's one good eye. The Berserkers would exile him or worse." Hiccup shook his head. "You know I don't believe that stuff about being god-touched. But whether Dagur believes it or not, he has to know that his people do and how they would react. Messing with me that way would be suicidal."

"Hiccup, he's deranged!"

"But not stupid. Your worst-case scenario, Astrid, ends with me destroying him and everyone else cheering that I called down the gods' wrath, even though all I did was say the word and they took him out. It's not going to happen."

It startled him to think that he really did have that power- and he didn't think he deserved it. It was based on everyone else's beliefs, not anything he felt was true or real. He once had asked Gothi if his skepticism meant he didn't really belong on the path between, but she had written it was just the opposite. He supposed that she meant it was alright for him to have the power because he wouldn't abuse it. Maybe she was right, because far from abuse, Hiccup would rather not exercise it at all.

Astrid still looked worried, but her posture relaxed. "I still don't trust him, Hiccup, and it sounds like him _not_ knowing anything is more dangerous."

"I don't know what you think he's going to do to me. And he won't get past the armor if he tries."

"The armor you're _not_ wearing?" she asked pointedly.

Hiccup gave her a dour look. Stoick had told him to wear the Gronckle plate at all times, but he had left the house without it this morning. Visiting Toothless he wanted his dragon to nuzzle soft cloth and feel his warmth, not hard metal.

Relenting a bit, she stepped back and said more gently, "Fine, I may be a little too worried because… because you're _mine_, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock. So if Dagur lays a finger on you, I expect you to tell me so I can break it. Promise?"

She was probably serious, but she was trying to alleviate the tension. He smiled at her.

"Sure. You can have a go before Dad, but after Toothless."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Hello, _Hiccup_."

Hiccup groaned. Only a day and already that menacing voice was too familiar. He had hoped to arrive at the great hall ahead of Dagur and technically he had- just not far enough ahead, because the Berserker chief was bringing up the rear. He stopped halfway up the steps and turned.

"Dagur. You're looking…" Oh, he wished he hadn't started that sentence, because he didn't like how his brain was finishing it. Stunning. Enticing. Edible. "…large."

Dagur puts his hands on his hips and laughed, jangling his shoulder plates. Then he titled his head. "Aren't I? But don't be intimidated. I know it's not about force. It's about staying power and _reach_."

His eyes widened on the last word as if he anticipated a reaction of some sort. Fear, maybe? It didn't make sense to Hiccup.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said honestly. Since Dagur's arrival, the two of them had barely talked with each other, but each time he felt like he and Dagur were having entirely separate conversations.

"Don't you?" The Berserker chief gave a toothy grin. "Oh, Hiccup. You've grown up as well. I didn't expect you'd be so tall. I like it! I wonder if you've had growth… _elsewhere_."

Elsewhere? Did Dagur mean- oh, he did. His eyes were fixed on the center of Hiccup's leather skirt.

The sheer absurdity of the situation- the absolute stupidity and hidden futility of the contest Dagur was trying to wager- was too much. Hiccup burst out laughing.

"What?" Dagur demanded, thrown off balance. When Hiccup just kept laughing, he shouted, "What is so funny?"

"Oh… oh, Dagur…" Hiccup shook his head, hugging himself as he caught his breath. "You… if you saw it… you'd be shocked."

"What?" Dagur pulled out his ax and rattled it at him. "I demand to see it! I must know!"

That only set off Hiccup again. Clutching his sides, he staggered into the great hall, quieting down before he took his seat next to Stoick. Dagur walked in a few minutes later. Instead of following right on Hiccup's heels, he had stayed outside a bit longer to vent his frustration at the air. As he sat down in the chair opposite Stoick, he directed an angry pout at Hiccup. Hiccup, despite promising Gobber he'd try not to provoke the other man, couldn't help himself. He gave Dagur a broad smile.

_Yours is bigger- but if you knew why, you wouldn't be proud!_ In fact, if Dagur shared the same superstitions as most people, he might become terrified. Too bad that possibility wasn't worth exploring.

Astrid was wrong in her suspicions. Dagur's little arousal outside had been nothing more than dumb, meathead posturing. The only thing Hiccup had to worry about was himself- bad enough, but as long as his attraction was one-sided, nothing could possibly come of it and that was what mattered.

For this occasion the usual rows within the great hall had been replaced with a single circular table, a large ring with an opening at one end allowing someone to enter and stand in the middle. That center was where the treaty would be signed, if these talks ever got as far as drafting one. Hiccup had his doubts, but tried to push them aside. He didn't like Dagur- well, he didn't like Dagur as a _person_, because now there was a way he definitely liked Dagur- but he wanted the peace they had to continue. If it came to war, Berk would probably win, but at a cost that wouldn't feel at all like victory.

The rest of the witnesses, warrior representatives from Berk and Berserker alike, filled up the remaining seats. Stoick looked around to confirm that all expected members were assembled and then stood to begin proceedings.

"Ten years ago, the Isle of Berk and Berserker Island had a treaty, one that had stood for fifty years- and one that was broken by the Berserkers. We of Berk are less concerned with who was at fault than we are establishing a lasting peace- however, your past aggression cannot be ignored. Berk is willing to reinstate the terms of the original treaty, with a few alterations. The annual tour will be of Berserker Island and it will be the chief of Berk who must sign the treaty to renew it for another year."

_So, I get to visit Dagur every year for the rest of my life? Thanks, Dad_, Hiccup thought, but he couldn't disagree with the solution. The original treaty had been written when Stoick's father had been desperate to appease the Berserkers by showing that Berk was no threat to them. That had been the purpose of the tour, which was why Stoick had wanted Hiccup to hide the dragons years ago. Now, the situation was reversed: the Berserkers needed to prove they had no intention of stabbing Berk in the back.

"I suppose we won't be signing it in dragon's blood, will we, Stoick?" Dagur asked with a faint smile. Hiccup wanted to glare at him.

"Of course not!" Stoick barked.

"Then it sounds like the old treaty isn't going to cut it. I agree," he said amicably. Then he slammed his fist against the table and shouted, "The Berserkers demand more!"

There were a few gasps on the Berk side of the table, but Hiccup just sighed. This was the very start of negotiations, when each side probed the other's limits with the most extreme demands and paltriest compromises. Growling and fist-shaking was a normal part of early proceedings- assuming Dagur was playing by the same rules as Stoick. That wasn't a guarantee.

"More? You broke the peace!" Stoick shouted in anger. "Then you threw your armada against this island and we broke them! You're lucky to be sitting at this table at all, Dagur!"

"I am not without some sympathy for Berk's position and why our past actions might have left you a bit… alarmed concerning us," Dagur replied, his voice calmer, but now patronizing. "Some considerations are in order. We expect Berk to agree only to reasonable terms and we offer this: if you'll work with us, I'll put an end to all dragon slaying within my territory and by any member of my tribe."

Dagur's eyes were fixed on Stoick, but Hiccup knew those words had been meant for him.

* * *

><p>"Could this be more obviously a trap?" Hiccup asked. "This is not how you negotiate. You never put out your best offer first. You hold it back so you can get more from the other side. That's basic tactics."<p>

It was later that night. Hiccup sat on the side of his bed with Astrid next to him. She had asked him how today's session had gone and he couldn't determine whether it had been good or bad, only that he was suspicious of everything Dagur had said.

"Do you think he's lying?" Astrid asked. "That he won't stop killing dragons?"

"I don't know. He's been enthusiastic about slaughtering dragons before, but he's also kept captured ones alive to use them. I think that's not the right question. What is he really after?"

"Your dad cares about dragons, but not like you do, Hiccup," she said. "I don't think Dagur made this offer for him. I think he did it for you."

Hiccup had had the same thought, but didn't share this with Astrid. He knew what she suspected Dagur wanted and he didn't agree- and he also didn't want to think about it. It was better to keep his mind on Dagur's aggravating personality than his striking physique.

"It's an offer Dad won't want to refuse if he can help it. That must be obvious to Dagur," he said. "So what is he going to demand in return?"

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Astrid squeezing his hand. Neither of them could come up with an answer.

"I guess we need more information," she finally said. Then, with an unexpectedly sly look, she remarked, "You seem tense. Should I _do_ something about that?"

Another day, another time, Hiccup would have smiled at her and started taking off his clothes- or her clothes. But tonight, he shook his head.

"I'm sorry. I'm not really in the mood."

"Oh." She turned away and shrugged. "I guess I'm not really either."

He thought she was lying and that made him feel even guiltier about the fact that he was in the mood or at least thought he could get into it easily- but it was for the worst possible reason and that wouldn't be fair at all to Astrid.

She continued, "I'm switching off with Fishlegs tomorrow. It'll only be a few days, but… keep safe, okay? I'll be thinking about you."

"I will, too," he answered automatically. He felt distracted.

Astrid left shortly after that and Hiccup tried to sleep. His room felt strangely large and empty without Toothless- and his skin felt hot and his mind heavy, for the two entirely separate ways Dagur right now had him disoriented. He focused on the latter, because all he could do about the first was hope it went away on its own. What could Dagur gain by giving up dragon slaying?

Berk's goodwill was the only feasible answer Hiccup reached, because otherwise it was nothing. In fact, how was that goal realistic for the Berserkers? Berk had only been able to stop killing dragons because Hiccup had learned how to befriend them, but no Berserker knew how-

That was it, Hiccup realized. That was what Dagur wanted and he almost smacked himself for how long he had taken to realize it.

Dagur wanted the Berserkers to have trained dragons. At some point, he would throw in Stoick's face that his proposal to stop the killings would only be possible if Berk offered that in return.

Hiccup's stomach dropped. Stoick would never agree to that. It would be putting a weapon in Dagur's hand and they couldn't trust him not to use it. Were these peace talks anything but a joke? Was war between their islands simply inevitable? Everything seemed to depend on Dagur.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

In the morning, Hiccup shared his thoughts with Stoick. His father's expression turned dark.

"That's a very good guess, son," he said. "Keep this to yourself for now. I think it best we wait for Dagur to bring it up first. It will throw him off when we're not surprised."

"What will you say when he does?" Hiccup asked.

"That will depend on the circumstances at the time, but I can't imagine agreeing to it."

Talks continued, with the usual shouting and stomping and mace-waving that Viking negotiations usually involved. Hiccup had never been a fan of that and the proceedings were even more nerve-wracking with Dagur sitting across the table, looking like the best Snoggletog present imaginable. And Dagur had found a way to make that worse: every so often, he checked for eye-contact with Hiccup and then stopped talking mid-sentence to leer. Hiccup really ought to start looking away- he could tell Stoick was more aggravated by this behavior than even he was- but he couldn't unglue his gaze. Half his brain was on the negotiations and the other half was in his pants. Was this why some Viking men preferred to wear long, concealing skirts?

_Wow, a second world problem. I guess it's nice to know those can happen, too?_

It would be nicer if he could _do_ something about that problem, like… No, he was not going to let his brain go there, anymore than it already was.

Dagur had yet to raise the subject of tamed dragons, but Hiccup knew it was coming. The more he thought about it, the angrier he felt at Dagur for bringing the issue to the table. The passing of the Red Death had naturally decreased dragon attacks throughout the archipelago, but Hiccup knew the Berserkers were still trapped in the same cycle as Berk had been. Dragons raided, Vikings fought back in defense, dragons attacked again because now they perceived the Vikings as a threat. Hiccup wanted to end the slayings and bring peace between dragons and humans everywhere- and Dagur had slapped him in the face with the fact that his dream was impossible. He couldn't stop the killings precisely because of people like Dagur, who would use trained dragons to bring fire and chaos elsewhere. Hiccup wanted to punch Dagur in the face as much as he wanted to… not contemplate any other options.

Most mornings, if he got the chance, Hiccup went down to the academy to visit Toothless. He could tell his dragon was getting restless without flight. The first few days Hiccup pleaded with Toothless for understanding, but eventually he gave in and took the Night Fury on a quick loop away from the island, one just long enough to work out Toothless' pent-up energy. Stoick would be furious if he knew Hiccup had chanced his dragon getting spotted by Berserker eyes and angrier still that Hiccup had left the house without putting on his armor, but he felt certain no one had seen them. As he landed Toothless back at the academy, Barf and Belch and Hookfang growled at them jealously. Hiccup gave the other dragons an apologetic look.

"Sorry, guys. Future chief's prerogative," he said. He petted Toothless' snout. "See you later, bud."

Now to sneak back home unnoticed. The best way was to enter through his bedroom window rather than the front door. He was halfway up the side of the house when something yanked on his vest and pulled him to the ground.

"Ow," he groaned. Then he winced- less for his spine and more for the sight above him.

It was Dagur. And if Hiccup angled his head just right, he might be able to see up Dagur's skirt and stare at his bare legs.

And that would be terrible.

Dagur balled his hands on his hips and frowned. "I'm disappointed in you, Hiccup."

"That's nice," Hiccup said. He sat up and reached behind to feel for dirt on his vest, brushing off a few strands of grass in the process.

"I thought you would be happy with my proposition. An end to all dragon slaying, Hiccup. I thought that was important to you."

Hiccup sighed. He did not want to talk about this. It made him angry and he would have to be careful he didn't slip that he already had Dagur's game figured out. "Save it for the great hall, okay? And for my dad. He's the chief, not me, and I don't want any 'help' with that, thanks."

Suddenly, Dagur barred his teeth and snarled. He leaned down as if to reach for Hiccup's shirt again. Rather than give him the chance, Hiccup spun out of the way and then kicked out with his false leg. The metal didn't make contact with Dagur- the other man saw the swing coming and jumped back- but the maneuver bought him time to get onto his feet. Maybe Stoick was right. He really shouldn't have left the house without his armor.

"How about no?" he snapped.

Aggravated, Dagur threw up his hands and exclaimed, "I thought this was what you wanted, Hiccup! I thought this would make you happy!"

"Maybe if I knew you weren't full of yak dung!" he shouted back. "I have no reason to believe anything you say. Or did you just forget how you tried to kill my father or me or Toothless ten years ago? Because I sure haven't!"

"Oh. That." Dagur blinked- then he surprised Hiccup by crossing his arms and saying quietly, "No, I haven't forgotten. Some things have happened in our past, but if we can move beyond them-"

"Whoa!" Hiccup declared. He couldn't believe the line Dagur was about to feed him. "_You're _going to lecture _me_ on being reasonable and mature, Lord Deranged? We had peace, Dagur. You broke it! You can't expect me to overlook that or anything else unless you can prove you know what you did in the past was wrong!"

He had been honest and was glad for it, but expected his words would drive Dagur into a rage. He braced himself, anticipating that he would next have to dodge a sword or ax swung in a tantrum.

Instead, Dagur took a step back and stared at the ground.

"I may have made some mistakes."

"Wha… what?" Hiccup asked, shaking his head. He couldn't have heard that right. Could he?

"You are worthy, Hiccup- and so much more. If you could have trusted me, we could have shared-"

"Berk never could have trusted you. You proved that."

"I know!" Dagur shouted, raising his head. His eyes were wide and his voice quivered with frustration. "I made a mistake and it's hurt me, it's hurt my tribe! Is that what you want to hear? Because I'll say it again! I'll say it a dozen times if it means you'll listen!"

It was what Hiccup needed to hear. It was exactly the recognition Hiccup needed Dagur to prove before he could give the other Viking even an iota of his trust. And that was why he didn't think it was true. Dagur was too unstable and Hiccup had encountered too many excellent liars; some people could, and would, say anything for an advantage.

"I don't believe you," he said and turned away.

"Hiccup? Hiccup, wait!"

Dagur's strong hand clamped down on his shoulder.

Spinning around, feeling irate more than anything, Hiccup snapped, "What?"

He found himself staring into Dagur's eyes, bright green and longing. The other man's gaze was painful, but he was unable to turn away. He couldn't think of anything to do or to say. He breathed and waited for Dagur to speak again.

Dagur reached for Hiccup's arms and leaned towards him, very close towards him. Then-

Oh.

That was Dagur's face completely filling his vision and that was Dagur's mouth sucking his lips. And this was Hiccup's stomach, getting almost too tingly to bear, and this was the rest of Hiccup's body, being an absolute traitor as sparks sailed up and down his nerves. He could feel the kiss all the way to his toes, hotter than a Night Fury's blast and more electric than a Skrill's strike. He leaned into Dagur as if he were melting.

This was bad. This felt so, so good and it was really, really bad.

Dagur drew away and Hiccup, dazed, stared at him. The Berserker's expression, were it on someone less psychotic, could be called dreamy.

"Wow," he said. He curled his bottom lip inward and licked it. "That was a 'wow', wouldn't you say?"

"Definitely," Hiccup agreed and punched him in the face.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"Ow!" Dagur exclaimed, raising his hand to his cheek, where Hiccup's fist had just slammed him. Suddenly, he grinned. "You know how to punch, little man. Want to take this back to my tent?"

"Wha- what?" Hiccup asked.

"I know your bed is closer, but if Stoick walked in… well, I don't think your dad would handle it well, seeing you and me-"

"Wait, _what_?" Hiccup repeated, this time shouting. "What are you asking?"

"You _know_ what I'm asking," Dagur insisted, leaning forward with a leer. "Top or bottom?"

"What? Oh, no. No, no…" Hiccup moaned. He had suddenly gotten a grasp on Dagur's meaning and it was all he could do not to dive back into comforting denial.

"You don't think I'm serious? I can be flexible. Of course, I prefer-"

"I don't want to know!" Hiccup snapped. Except he kind of… sort of… did. Want to know. First hand.

No. No, no, no, he hated his brain, he hated the over-active organ in his pants, and he hated Dagur for being so absurdly, inanely gorgeous.

He also hated Dagur for being a presumptuous jerk.

"Get out of here!" Hiccup ordered.

"You're not scared, are you?" he asked. "I know I'm big, but I know how to be-"

"Get out of here or the only thing getting stuck in anyone is my metal foot up your ass!"

Raising his hands, Dagur backed away and said, "Okay. That's fine. I don't want you to be uncomfortable. Just remember… if you decide yes, I won't say no. Not to you, _Hiccup_."

He left and once he was gone from sight, Hiccup collapsed onto the grass.

That had not just happened.

That _had_ just happened. And Hiccup had no idea what to do- what to _think_- about it.

* * *

><p>Astrid returned the next day, switching off with Fishlegs again. Hiccup said nothing to her about the kiss- or the proposition- for many reasons. First, he didn't want her shattering the peace talks by trying to take off Dagur's head, because he had the feeling she would try. Second, Hiccup as of yet didn't feel any more threatened by Dagur's presence than he had ten years ago. While Dagur's kiss had been completely uncalled for, he had been quick to back off once Hiccup had stopped stuttering and made his feelings clear. Any extra awkwardness Hiccup felt had started before this- which led him to the third reason he didn't want to tell Astrid.<p>

A part of him had been very tempted to say yes to Dagur's offer.

Sitting in the great hall, Gobber leaned towards Hiccup and whispered, "Do you know what happened to Dagur's face?"

Hiccup glanced at the purplish bruise on the Berserker chief's cheek and shrugged. "Nope. No idea."

Gobber shook his head. "These Berserkers. Probably had a contest to see who could hit each other the hardest."

"Yeah. Probably."

That bruise didn't look too bad and would probably fade in a few days. As it was it barely marred his appearance- and Hiccup, when he wasn't looking at Dagur's arms, found himself more drawn to the other man's eyes.

Was Astrid right? She thought Dagur wanted something more from him and he had dismissed her concern as jealousy or over-thinking. But Dagur had asked him, in no uncertain terms, to tumble with him. Given that it was Dagur, Hiccup had no idea if the question had been a wild impulse or a flare-up of something deeper. Vikings liked to work out their problems physically and that wasn't always smacking each other with maces. Sometimes it was something more private. It was possible Dagur had that in mind for him and Hiccup- once and done to get over it.

Hiccup hated so much to admit that idea was appealing- but it wasn't possible for him. He was in-between and that created too many risks: that Dagur might break taboo and use his first world against him, or that even if Dagur respected the boundary, something might get left behind inside Hiccup. That would be a nightmare- and it would be war, because Stoick would kill Dagur if _that_ happened.

_Or not. Without Dagur, wouldn't the Berserkers follow me if I was carrying the heir?_

Oh, no. No, no, no. Why was Hiccup even thinking about this? Dagur wasn't. Dagur was thinking of something casual, another way he could try and stick it to Hiccup, as if that would somehow make up for all the times Hiccup and Toothless had smacked him down in battle. But Dagur thought Hiccup belonged to only one world, the same world as he did.

Hiccup looked down at the table, tracing the grooves in the wood. This wasn't fair- that he had these feelings, that he couldn't get rid of or act on them, and that Dagur wasn't a better person.

_"I made a mistake and it's hurt me, it's hurt my tribe!"_

Could he really believe that, that Dagur regretted some of his actions in the past? Or had Dagur been saying that for Hiccup's benefit? It had been ten years. Dagur could have changed- but for the worse just as easily as for the better.

He tried to direct his attention back to the negotiations. The recent sessions had been somewhat calmer thanks to the topic being trade. Both Berkians and Berserkers liked stuff and had the same idea about the value of stuff. Since neither Stoick nor Dagur found that a particular sticking point, they had been able to come to equitable terms. That had been something of a pleasant surprise; Hiccup had expected Dagur to squabble over anything, but he had stuck to arguing for what was obviously fair.

Then, at last, it happened.

"This is a good start, but it won't be enough, Stoick. We need to create a lasting peace, a true community of Viking brethren. That isn't possible if one of us has to worry about the other taking advantage of an unequal situation," Dagur said. "It seems only fair that Berk should help us establish our own dragon training academy."

Yep, Hiccup had called it. He looked at Stoick to see how his dad would answer.

Stoick gave a harsh, scoffing laugh. "Do you take us for fools, Dagur? I know well what you'd do with trained dragons."

Dagur gawked for a moment, blinking. So Stoick had been right about that- seeing the other chief have such a mild reaction to his demand disoriented him. But then, almost equally as calm, he replied, "And what is that, Stoick? I've come to you, asking for your hand in friendship, so that such a thing never need happen. Do you mean to tell us that the goodwill of Berk is a lie?"

How could that man sit there and so easily play the innocent in this? It was beyond Hiccup to fathom- and it sparked Stoick's temper. His father jumped to his feet.

"You dare to speak to _me_ of goodwill? You forget that Berk once lived under the shadow of your armada! You dare claim we have unfair advantage? You had an offset to our dragons- you squandered it breaking the last treaty!" Stoick bellowed. "I want peace, but I don't trust you as far as Hiccup could throw you!"

"Oh, hey, leave me out of this," Hiccup said.

"Oh, but you're _in_ it," Dagur declared, leaning over the table with a grin. "I want the best, Hiccup. I want _you_. You'll come to my island and you'll teach us everything you know. You can stay at my house!"

_And in your bed, I bet_, Hiccup thought. Suddenly, he was so sick of Dagur's attitude and madness and unbearable sex appeal. Snidely, he retorted, "Sure, if I can share a room with your sister."

Dagur shot up out of his chair and, standing rigidly straightly, stared at Hiccup. Then, he threw back the chair and, screaming, began to run around the table towards the Berk side of the room.

"Wha-" Hiccup began.

"Draw your sword!" Gobber cried.

He stepped out of his chair and did so, raising his blade just in time for Dagur's axe to clash against it.

"Woah!" he called out, jumping back. "What did I-"

"You will never touch my sister!"

_Oh, dung_, Hiccup thought as he realized what was running through Dagur's mind. He had meant his comment as a blunt rejection of Dagur's innuendo- instead, it had sounded like a lascivious remark towards the other man's sibling. And since Dagur's sister wasn't here to smack Hiccup for it herself, Dagur was obligated to do so in her absence.

Hiccup was an idiot.

Scrambling backwards as fast as he could, he held his sword horizontally in a defensive block and shouted, "Dagur, I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking! I yield!"

He dropped to his knees, ducking as Dagur swung at him in rage. He heard the twang of the man's axe striking the wall.

"You will not mention my sister again! You are unworthy of her!" Dagur bellowed.

"Yes. Yes, I am and I am really sorry- would you like to punch me? We could match."

"Hiccup."

That voice was Stoick's and its quiet yet furious rumble was a spray of ice against Hiccup's spine. Shoulders hunched, Hiccup winced and turned to his father.

Stoick's expression was hard. "Hiccup, leave."

"Yes, sir," he said.

Mortified, he bowed his head and quickly walked out of the hall.

* * *

><p>At home, Hiccup sat on his bed and waited for his father to return. Stoick would have words for him, he knew, and he expected they would be harsh.<p>

Less than a half hour passed before he heard the front door open and shut. Then Stoick called out, a controlled command, "_Hiccup._"

Hiccup took a deep breath and walked downstairs. He kept his head bowed in abashment as he presented himself to Stoick.

"I never expected such behavior from you. I never thought I would have to talk to you about the importance of respecting women," Stoick said. "They bring us into this world and we're fools if we don't think they can take us out of it!"

Ouch.

"I know. I wasn't thinking that-"

"I assumed you weren't thinking that, if you were thinking at all, but the point remains!" Stoick growled. "You picked a prime moment to shoot your mouth off! Do you know why I'm taking this so seriously?"

Nodding, Hiccup said, "Because stupid comments like that make people stop talking and start hitting."

"Oh, so you have learned _something_ I taught you."

He winced. How badly was Stoick going to rub this in?

"Fortunately for everyone, Dagur calmed down after you left. Talks will resume tomorrow afternoon and you will be there."

"Yes, sir."

Stoick sighed. "Hiccup, look at me."

He raised his eyes. His father's expression was less severe than he had expected. Stoick looked disappointed, but also concerned.

"I have some idea of where your mind was, and I know it wasn't on a woman you've never met. I realize these sessions are difficult on you, given the stunts Dagur's tried to pull with Toothless," his father said. "But you are better than Dagur and I don't want his presence here to become an excuse for you forgetting that."

"It won't," Hiccup said. "I'll take more care with what I say or do around him, Dad. I promise."

He meant it, but he felt worried. Being around Dagur turned his brain to either fire or slush. It was the dumbest, shallowest problem he'd had in his life and he dreaded what stupid thing would seem like a great idea next.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Although the incident was dealt with and over as far as the peace talks were concerned, news of Hiccup's unfortunate slip spread through the village and he got an earful about it at the academy the next day.

"So… what happened?" Tuffnut asked.

"Hiccup can't keep it in his pants, that's what," Snotlout said, snorting a laugh.

"You know that's really ironic coming from you, right?" Hiccup snapped.

Astrid stepped through the gate.

"Ooo, you're in for it now!" Snotlout warned gleefully.

"Shut up."

"Hey, Astrid, have you heard? Hiccup's got a big crush on Dagur's sister!"

Turning, Astrid gave him an irritated glare. "Snotlout, it's not even worth punching you for that." She walked up to Hiccup and grabbed his arm. "Come on, stud. Let's talk about who owns your divining rod."

Hiccup laughed nervously. "You're kidding, right?"

She dragged him off to one of the pens. Toothless and Stormfly followed. Their dragons blocking the opening gave them some privacy, but if Astrid's voice got too loud, the twins and Snotlout would hear every word she said.

"Okay," she said, "what happened yesterday?"

Hiccup was grateful she had asked for his story first, but even from his end it didn't sound particularly good. Fortunately, Astrid looked worried instead of angry as he gave her an honest account of his dumb comment and Dagur's explosive reaction.

When he had finished, she remarked, "That doesn't sound like you."

"It's not like me! I felt so angry at Dagur sitting there like…" _Like a big, dumb mountain of sex and bad life choices. _"…like none of the awful stuff he's done ever happened and I snapped."

"You seem really stressed," she said. She put her hand on his shoulder. "You haven't been acting like yourself. We've been talking less and less since Dagur got here. I'm worried about you."

Hiccup looked aside and prayed that none of his guilt showed on his face. He hadn't realized it until Astrid had made her remark just now, but he had been avoiding her company- or, more accurately, forgetting to seek it out. How was it that Dagur could ruin everything whether the man tried to or not?

"Is there something you're not telling me, Hiccup?"

There was something he could _never_ tell her.

"I don't mean to," he answered, startling himself at how easily the lie came. Usually, he stuttered when confronted like this. "You're right, I feel so tense and I don't want to concern you-"

"But that's what I'm here for," she said, smiling gently. She put her arms around his neck. "Hiccup… is there anything I can do? Anything."

"Thanks, but I just need to get through this. Once the Berserkers are gone, everything will go back to how it was. We'll be fine."

As he said it, he felt sure of it. Somehow, this would all work out- once Dagur was out of sight, he would fade from Hiccup's mind.

* * *

><p>Dagur and the other Berserkers seemed content to act as if nothing had happened yesterday, which suited Hiccup and the other Berkians fine. When everyone was seated, talks began again.<p>

"Where were we yesterday?" Dagur asked, tapping his chin. "Ah, yes." He grinned. "Dragon training."

"It's off the table!" Stoick declared.

"Then let me remind you what's _on_ the table. When we began, I said I would put an end to all dragon slaying on my island. How, Stoick, do you expect us to avoid killing dragons if we can't train them? Leave them alone as they fly around burning our homes, our land? Is that what Berk wants us to do? It sounds like that's what Berk wants, the death of every Berserker!"

Behind him, his tribe raised their weapons and roared.

_This is a peace talk?_ Hiccup questioned, almost raking his hands through his hair. It sounded more like Dagur wanted to declare war- but Hiccup and Stoick suspected that was his real goal, something he would make happen sooner or later. And this was also what Hiccup had predicted Dagur would use against Berk: that dragon slaughters couldn't be ended without dragon taming.

He felt a fury burn in his chest. Berserker Island had a real problem, one Hiccup could solve and make their lives infinitely better- and he could never offer them that solution, the joy and freedom of dragon flight and friendship, because he could never trust their chief. This was completely Dagur's fault!

"What you do on your island is your business, Dagur!" Stoick shouted. "If you can't find another answer, so be it! Deal with the dragons as you must."

"What?" Hiccup gasped.

Stoick couldn't mean that. Of course, they weren't going to train the Berserkers, but surely his father would consider searching for another answer. A regular patrol of Berk's riders to fend off the dragons, man-power and supplies to rebuild from the damage done by raids- something!

A sharp look from Stoick silenced him and he bowed his head. He shouldn't have reacted; here, in front of the Berserkers, was the wrong place to question Stoick. Surely he could trust there was something his father wasn't saying, that he would learn later in private.

"We offer _peace_," Dagur spat. "We offer to hold back the armada-"

"What is left of the armada-"

"What is left is enough to devastate this island!" Dagur bellowed. He paused- then shook his head and laughed, armor jangling. "Oh, ho, ho, you think I won't do it? You think we're afraid of a little more blood? We need to learn to ride dragons. If you won't share the knowledge, you're giving us no choice! Remember, I don't need to conquer Berk to win- my prize is precious little _Hiccup_."

How could this man make Hiccup sizzle under his armor at the same time as Hiccup wanted to hit him with a blunt object? It was insane; he wanted to jump and punch Dagur as hard as he could.

Stoick's voice turned cold. "Threaten Hiccup again-"

"Ugh." Dagur groaned while dramatically rolling his eyes and head. "_Stoick_. I didn't say I was going to hurt him. I want to take him home and keep him. Look at him, you really don't feed him enough."

"Hiccup is not leaving Berk, you are not getting tamed dragons, and these things are not negotiable!" Stoick declared. "I suggest you learn to live with a little disappointment."

Dagur stood up and roared. That became the signal for Vikings on both sides of the room to do what Vikings did best: hit things. Out came the daggers and the maces and the clubs and the fists. Hiccup groaned and slunk under the table.

* * *

><p>"Well," said Gobber. "That turned nasty."<p>

The three of them- Hiccup, Stoick, and Gobber- sat by the hearth in the chief's house. Each of them had escaped today's scuffle without a mark, but Stoick had a pounding ache behind his eyes and held a block of ice to his head.

"This is not going to work," Stoick said. "These talks are going nowhere. It's only a matter of time before we kick them off the island."

"You can't do that, Stoick. It'll be war."

"It'll be war anyway, with a treaty or no!" he declared. "The ink won't be dry before Dagur starts looking for a way to stab us in the back again."

"If that's true, why are we even holding these talks?" Hiccup asked. "Dad, you said you wanted to give peace a fair shot. Even if we can't trust Dagur, maybe we can still come up with some arrangement even he wouldn't break."

"Blood," Gobber said suddenly. "It's going to take blood to make this work."

Stoick and Hiccup both gave him a started glance.

"What are you suggesting?" said Stoick.

"Kill Dagur?" Hiccup asked.

"What? No, we're not going to kill anybody! The Berserkers are having a bad influence on you, lad," Gobber said. "We need something more than parchment to make a treaty with them binding. I know this may be a tender subject at the moment, but Dagur does have a sister. And you, Stoick, have a son."

Hiccup was jolted. "You're not serious."

"Why not? She can't be as bad as her brother."

"Gobber," Stoick said. He sounded impatient. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Hiccup gave a little smile. "First world problems."

"What's that got to do with anything? Marriage happens in the second world. And even if it didn't, a hearth marriage is just as valid."

"Yeah, but I think Dagur would expect us to make babies and eventually, I'd have to step outside the marriage for an heir. When he finds out I'm pregnant instead of his sister, he'll lose it and then it will be a war."

"What if we get lucky and she's in-between, too?"

"I'm never that lucky."

Stoick interrupted harshly, "I don't care how many worlds or which world anyone has, Hiccup is _not_ marrying a Berserker and that is that!"

Although only Gobber had been taking the idea seriously, it was a relief for Hiccup to hear that. Political marriages weren't uncommon, but it was a particular arrow Hiccup had thought he would always dodge because walking two worlds added some wrinkles to negotiating one. When mixed-blood heirs were usually the goal, Stoick couldn't explain that Hiccup required someone's son rather than daughter without revealing the first world and thereby breaking taboo. Of course, Stoick could ask for Hiccup's permission to do so and that would make it acceptable, but he never had.

Eventually, Gobber left for the night. Stoick, quiet and somber, moved on to another ice block after the first one had melted. The chief likely wanted silence in which to brood, but Hiccup had a concern he needed to voice.

"Dad, back in the great hall, you made it sound like you didn't care if the Berserkers keep killing dragons. Was that growling or were you serious?"

Stoick turned, giving him a weary look. "Of course I care, Hiccup. But it may be something we have to let go."

"Let go?" He didn't like the sound of this.

"Dagur is right. The dragons aren't going to go away, so they can't stop killing them if they can't train them. But we can't allow them to do that."

"I know Dagur is horrible, but there are a lot of innocent people and dragons on Berserker Island. I don't see how we can call this peace if we have an alliance with them and let them continue to die."

"Son, I know it sounds cold, but taking care of the Berserkers is Dagur's job," Stoick said. "Ours is to do whatever is necessary to keep Berk safe."

_How safe are we if we continue giving the Berserkers reasons to hate us? _Hiccup wanted to ask, but Stoick was right. They couldn't hold themselves accountable for Dagur's people, not when Dagur actively worked to bring harm to Berk. And that aside, Hiccup had no solution he could present to his father. There were no good options, so he had to accept the least terrible one, as Stoick already had.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

The next day was worse. Not an hour passed before talks broke down and the great hall turned into a rout. There wasn't a negotiation between Vikings that didn't suffer ups and downs like this, but Hiccup wondered if both sides were fighting for keeps- the Berkians seemed just as angry as the Berserkers. In defending himself, he accidentally sliced off the tip of a Berserker's ear. He would have felt guilty if the Berserker in question wasn't so pleased with the wound. The man ran off, gleefully announcing, "The rider of the Night Fury gave me a scar!"

The fighting ended when Dagur finally announced, "Enough! Bored now."

Everyone cleared out, leaving Mulch and Bucket to mop up the hall.

* * *

><p>"We can't give the Berserkers dragons. That's out of the question," Stoick said.<p>

He and Hiccup were at home, drinking by the fire- or Stoick was drinking. Hiccup had drawn a mug but had yet to touch it. At the moment he was tying a bandage around Stoick's arm. Someone had gotten lucky and managed to score a hit on the chief, but it was shallow and had bled little.

"We can't give up on the question," Hiccup protested. "There must be a way we can save the dragons of their island without creating a danger for ourselves."

"Not in my lifetime," Stoick said. "And it won't be in yours either unless Dagur has an heir that takes after Oswald. We can't trust him. We never will."

"If we can't even try trusting him, how are these talks not a joke?" he asked. He finished the knot and let the bandage go, satisfied it was secure.

Stoick sighed softly, closing his eyes. "I'd settle for a non-aggression pact. That's what I offered at the start."

"That's not enough for Dagur."

It wasn't enough for Hiccup either. A non-aggression pact might buy Berk a temporary calm, but it wouldn't be progress. It wouldn't solve the Berserkers' problems and would only nurture the resentment that already existed between the tribes, priming them both to cheer on an even bloodier slaughter later. And this assumed that Dagur would sign and keep to such a pact; Hiccup knew that he wouldn't. Yet Hiccup could not accept war as inevitability, that the past nine years of tranquility and safety would be the only such time that he or his people who know. He would do anything to guarantee peace.

If they couldn't trust Dagur, they had to find a way around him. Hiccup didn't like Stoick's suggestion to wait and see if Dagur's child wasn't insane like his father. Hoping for luck wasn't a plan.

_If we could trust Dagur's heir…_

A thought struck Hiccup like a bolt between the eyes and made his stomach lurch. That was a horrifying idea. Anything for peace? No, not anything. Not that. Thankfully, he doubted such a thing would ever occur to Stoick. Revealing the first world to Dagur was something his father would never ask him to do, not even for Berk's sake.

* * *

><p>"I don't want to leave you," Astrid said. She had one hand on Stormfly's neck, but had made no motion to get in her saddle.<p>

"Why are you so worried? Yeah, there's been fighting, but that's Vikings being Vikings," Hiccup said and tried to laugh. The sound rang false in his ears. He was afraid that the talks were coming close to failing completely, but he didn't want to share his concerns with Astrid. They were too tangled in his awkward feelings towards Dagur and Astrid was the last person in which he could confide such a thing. "I can take care of myself. You know that."

"I know, but…"

"Right now, my job is here with crazy and yours is with your students," Hiccup said. "Come on, Fishlegs has got be dying out there."

She tried to smile at the joke- for him, just for him. "Okay. Keep safe, Hiccup."

Boosting herself, she glided onto Stormfly's back. Hiccup stepped back for her to take-off.

_Sorry, Astrid_, he thought._ I know you deserve better than this from me._

* * *

><p>Another day, another riot. Hiccup's ears rang as his helmet was knocked off his head by a stray ax.<p>

"Who touched Hiccup?" Dagur shrieked. "Who?!"

The Berserker in question received a broken nose from his chief and the fighting ended for the day.

* * *

><p>"Lunatic," Stoick muttered, pressing an ice block to his head as he stared into the fire. "I've half a mind to end this farce now."<p>

"You're just saying that," Hiccup said- less because he believed it and more because he wanted it to be true. "If we give up now-"

"We aren't getting anywhere! And we never were going to. The only reason I can see to continue is to suss out what Dagur's really after," Stoick replied. "It's not dragons, at least not direct from us. He had to know we'd refuse."

"So you think we still don't know his ultimate motive."

"Oh, we know that," his father said. "An excuse for war."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Hiccup volunteered.

Outside, he found Tuffnut.

"Hi," he said. This was unexpected. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him, so they could talk without disturbing Stoick's peace. "What's going on?"

"Oh, uh, I've been hanging out in the Berserker encampment 'cause it was a good idea last time and I thought I might learn something," Tuffnut began in his slow yet rambling drawl. "But Dagur kind of figured out who I am and… uh… well, it's cool, he was okay with it. But he said I had to deliver a message or he'd break my arm. So here I am. With a message."

Hiccup rubbed his face. It could be worse. Tuffnut could have come here reporting his presence had started an incident and Dagur was now accusing Berk of spying on him- which would be completely true and thus an even worse headache for Stoick.

"What's the message? Is it for me or my dad?"

"It's for you. He says he wants you to meet him behind the ruins of Mildew's house. Well, he didn't say it was Mildew's house, he called it the rubble, but I know it's Mildew's-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Hiccup said, cutting him off.

"Yeah. And he wants you to come alone. He didn't say why. Just 'Hiccup has to come alone'. I guess he wants it to be a big secret and stuff."

Hiccup gave an uneasy smile. Oh, did this sound like a trap- because it obviously was a trap. "Did he say what he wanted to talk about?"

Tuffnut shrugged. "I dunno."

Meeting Dagur alone in the dark screamed bad idea. But Hiccup was beginning to feel desperate. Neither he nor his father had any idea how to make this treaty happen. Maybe by talking to Dagur he would learn something that would help.

Or maybe Dagur had something else in mind, he thought, remembering what had happened the last time they had been alone together. The intensity of that kiss still made him shiver. This could be a really bad idea- better bring his Gronckle iron shield with him, he decided.

He told Tuffnut, "Let Dagur know I'm on my way."

He reentered the house. He still wore his armor, so he only needed to go upstairs and grab the shield. As he headed out the door a second time, his father stirred.

"Where are you going, son?" Stoick asked.

"Oh, to check on Toothless," Hiccup lied and bit down on his tongue before he could start blathering.

"Fine. Stay away from any Berserkers, you hear?"

Hiccup didn't reply.

Outside, the moon was bright. A brisk walk took him quickly across the village, but it was farther still to Mildew's field. He felt tempted to run, but he'd only tire himself in the armor, and he needed his senses sharp. Eventually, he reached the site. Soft lights glowed within the Berserker tents; Hiccup skirted around them in the darkness. Farther out, he could see the flame of a single torch that was wedged between stones. In its light was the silhouette of Dagur's helmet. Moving quietly, he approached.

"Hiccup!" Dagur called out in a hushed voice. "You came!"

He sounded happy. In the fire light, his green eyes glowed.

"Hey! Remember this?" Hiccup asked and held up his weapon.

"The ornate shield! I never got a chance to ask for one of those."

"Sorry, Berk exclusive," he quipped and lowered his arm. He felt tense just being alone in the dark with Dagur, but some of the knotting in his stomach was thanks to his eye noticing how Dagur's skin seemed golden in the torchlight. He looked away from the man's arms, but Dagur's face held just as much intriguing definition: the slight hook of his nose, the almond shape of his eyes. "Why did you ask me here? You're not just feeling lonely are you?"

Dagur smiled, revealing his teeth. "Would it be a problem if I was?"

"Talk, Dagur."

"You're cute when you're commanding," he cooed, but then continued in a sober tone, "But there is another problem. You and I, we have a problem."

"We have a very long list of problems. Mind being specific?"

"Stoick, Hiccup. Stoick is our problem."

_I don't like where this is going_, Hiccup thought and said, "If this is another offer to 'take care' of my dad-"

Dagur waved his hand. "Oh, no. I know you're too attached to him for that- but I also know you don't always agree with him. And I think you agree with me."

Where was this going? Hiccup felt genuinely confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really? I have it on good authority that Stoick wasn't originally a fan of your Night Fury. You had to convince him." Dagur clapped his hands together and smiled. "So if Stoick can't be reasonable, you and I can be reasonable, and then you can convince Stoick."

_I really don't like where this is going. _Hiccup had no desire to go behind his father's back, but if he played along he might get some useful information out of the Berserker. Crossing his arms, he said, "That depends. I need to know what you consider reasonable, Dagur."

"This is what I like about you, Hiccup. You always try to take control. It makes me feel… tingly." Dagur grinned and then actually shivered. It was weird. "Stoick's missing the big picture. He wants to keep Berk in its safe little bubble. But you and I, we know there are greater things out there. Stoick doesn't care about the dragons of Berserker Island. But you care." He thumped his fist over his heart. "And I care."

Hiccup almost growled. Dagur wasn't being anywhere near as subtle as he thought he was. Already, he could unravel what the Berserker chief was going to suggest.

"I see," he said. "You don't need my father's consent to learn how to train dragons. You just need me to agree to teach you."

"Yes!" Dagur said, waving his hand out. "Exactly."

"And if my dad doesn't agree… well, what's to stop me from getting on your boat and going with you to your island without his permission? Yeah, I'll come and teach you everything I know and I'll stay in your house and do your cooking- is that the idea?"

Amicably, Dagur laughed. "Don't be silly. I'll do the cooking."

"Hmm…" Hiccup rested his hand under his chin and stroked it with his thumb. "I have to say… no. Never."

Dagur's jaw dropped.

"What!" he cried, flinging his arms out and jerking his head. His whole body shook, armor jangling sharply. "You can't say no! Don't you have any idea what I want? What I want to give you?"

"Do you think I'm completely stupid?" Hiccup retorted. "You don't want peace and you don't care what happens to the dragons on your island- not as long as you can control them."

"That's not true! I do care- I care because it would please you!"

The passion, even more so than the content, of Dagur's statement caught Hiccup off-guard.

_This is a trap. I should leave now._

Dagur continued, "Don't you know why I'm here? Why I bothered to come to Berk? It's _you_, Hiccup! This is all for you!"

_He's lying. I shouldn't be listening to this._

"Ah…" Hiccup took a step back. The torchlight suddenly seemed too hot and he felt woozy. "I don't understand."

"When I first met you, I _hated_ you," Dagur declared. He leaned forward and curled his fingers inward. "So little and scrawny and that nasally voice- and you'd be the next chief of Berk? You'd be no challenge for me! What a disappointment! But then-" He smiled and his eyes went wide with enthusiasm. "-you defeated the Red Death! I saw you battle a Night Fury! That's when I realized I wasn't meant to fight against you. I was meant to have you at my side!"

"I…" Hiccup shook his head, struggling to catch up to the story. He felt flushed under his armor. "The narrative goes a little differently for me."

"I know." Dagur's voice became flat, his expression dour. "Because you made a fool of me. You _lied_ to me. Oh, I was _enraged_. I was _incensed!_" His voice rose and he hunched over, pressing his hands to his helmet. "I couldn't stop thinking about you. It was like my brain was on fire all the time! I thought I needed to tear you apart- to claim your dragon and rip you to pieces…" Just as his speech was drawing to a climax, he stood upright and shrugged. "But I was wrong."

Completely lost, Hiccup demanded, "What?"

"I was wrong. What I felt was so intense because it was our _connection_, Hiccup! I just didn't know what to do about it. But then I figured it out. I knew I had to wait. I was hoping Stoick would drop, but I forgot how young he is. My own father was…" Dagur sniffed and shook his head as he straightened himself. "I don't want to talk about our fathers. I want to talk about _us_."

Hiccup raised his hand to his cheek. His face felt feverish to his own touch. This was too much to absorb. So much of it sounded like a story he knew, but twisted, taking it to a completely different ending, a conclusion he could not fathom.

"There… isn't… an 'us'."

"Yes there is," Dagur insisted. His eyes glimmered. "I know it. I feel it, Hiccup. I want you." He took a step towards him. "I need you." Another step. "I love-"

Shocked, Hiccup's eyes bulged and he dropped his shield. It landed against the rocks with a clatter.

"Heh," Dagur laughed. He crossed what remained of the distance between them and dropped onto his knee. Reaching for Hiccup's hand, he kissed it.

The touch of his lips was only a light brush on Hiccup's skin, but it felt as strong as an electric charge. It passed up his arm and then down his spine. The hairs on his back stood on end and his heart began to race.

"Dagur…" he began, but had no idea how to finish.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Dagur insisted, standing up. "You know we belong together. I can see it in your eyes!"

Hiccup felt something, but it was far from a mystical connection or a binding of souls. He didn't believe in those things and even if he did, he didn't think the gods were crazy or cruel enough to choose Dagur for him. What he felt was far more base and instinctual, though no less intense. His body burned like a volcano from pure, unremitting lust.

He couldn't stand it anymore. He had been holding himself in close guard for almost two weeks now and he wanted scream- but instead, he decided upon the stupidest thing he had ever done in his life.

He flung himself at Dagur and kissed the man hard.

Dagur grabbed Hiccup by the arms; Hiccup twined his one good leg around Dagur's calf. Their mouths grasped at each other insistently, hungrily- at moments, Hiccup found himself gasping for air, having forgotten to breathe. He snaked his hands around Dagur's back, groping possessively. He was on fire.

Somehow Hiccup found himself on his back against the ground, but he was too full of longing to care how they'd gotten horizontal. Dagur pressed on top of him lightly, still kissing fiercely and trying to claim his tongue. Hiccup arched his back to push against him, the heat in his belly driving him with need.

Dagur moved his lips to the crook of Hiccup's neck and sucked tenderly. Then, his mouth traveled to Hiccup's ear and, with a puff of hot breath, he whispered, "Let's make our own treaty, Hiccup. One between you and me and the stars."

"Yes…" Hiccup moaned. That sounded like Valhalla on earth.

"I have your permission?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm going to take off your armor."

Dagur's hand trailed down Hiccup's side, feeling the seam until he found a buckle. He began to undo the clasp.

"Wait…" Hiccup's mind was fuzzy from the torchlight and the fever and brilliance of his need combined with Dagur's. "There's something I'm supposed to say. I…"

_I walk between the worlds…_

Reality slammed into his brain with a roaring crash.

"No! Stop!"

Dagur sprung off him. Sitting back on his haunches, he looked at Hiccup in alarm. "What? What's wrong?"

Quivering, Hiccup sat up. He reached to check the buckle that Dagur had been working and found it was still in place.

What had he almost done? He couldn't believe himself. He had lost control and almost given up to Dagur his most vital and powerful secret.

"We can't do this," he said.

"Of course we can!" Dagur exclaimed. "We're supposed to do this! We belong with each other- we're meant to be!"

Hiccup forced himself to look into Dagur's face. He saw the intensity of the man's expression, the passion and yearning in his eyes, and realized Dagur believed every word he had said to Hiccup.

It was ridiculous and sad. It was completely deranged.

"No, we're not," Hiccup said. His legs felt wobbly, but he stood anyway. "I'm sorry, Dagur. I want to, but I can't."

He picked up his shield and ran.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Stoick was asleep when Hiccup got home and he thanked every god for that. He dashed upstairs and unfastened his armor as quickly as possible, letting it clunk to the floor. He threw off his shirt and pants and then dove under his bed sheets.

A run half across Berk had somehow done nothing to dissipate the frantic energy in his stomach or cool the flush of his skin. He still burned for want of Dagur's touch and he couldn't wait out this feeling, hoping it would pass. He reached down to take care of himself.

He thought of the ardor of Dagur's lips, the strength of his hands, the flame in his eyes, and moaned. It wasn't fair. He should hate Dagur. He should feel nothing but contempt for him- but he had wanted to ride Dagur until they were both senseless, and if his second world were his only world, he _would_ have.

_I walk between the worlds…_

Ritual words. Words that he would have had to say tonight before the armor could come off, before it could go any further and Dagur see for himself.

_…I give you permission to enter my first world._

Words he could never speak to Dagur. He could never trust Dagur wouldn't turn his secret against him. The taboo existed to protect him, but Dagur was crazy- and if he truly held the delusion that he and Hiccup were destined for each other, he might be crazy enough to risk angering the gods if somehow it could bind Hiccup to him.

In-betweens were supposed to be special, god-touched, blessed. Hiccup had never believed that- and tonight, more so than ever, he felt fiercely that it wasn't true. He felt powerless to claim anything that he wanted.

* * *

><p>Hiccup felt drained as he sat in the great hall and stared at his hands. He wished he could have abstained from coming today. He felt so confused and so hopeless. Maybe if he had a few hours to spend with his own thoughts, he could find an optimistic center within this mess. Right now, he understood too well Stoick's disillusionment that these talks were a wearying exercise grinding towards a brutal conclusion.<p>

What did Dagur want? Was it war? Was it dragons?

How could it be Hiccup himself?

_"I need you… I love-"_

Hiccup shook his head. It was a lie, one Dagur was telling himself. When you loved someone, you didn't try to destroy his village.

Something in the hall was different today. Both sides were quiet; they had become still as Dagur, instead of taking his usual seat, entered into the central area encircled by the table and held up his hands. He had an announcement.

"Fighting is fun and all, but I'm getting tired of it. These talks are going nowhere and I know why. Berk doesn't trust us. Berk doesn't believe we've changed, that we are committed to peace. Berk has made it clear that words aren't enough to seal this pact. Very well."

Hiccup took a breath. He couldn't imagine what was coming. As Dagur's gaze passed over him, he flinched and turned his head aside.

"I will prove my commitment with another bond, one that will last a lifetime. I offer to seal this treaty with a hearth marriage, Stoick. One between me and Hiccup!"

The collective gasp that filled the room perfectly accompanied the void that opened in Hiccup's stomach. He had not seen this coming, but he should have. A hearth marriage, a union between two men or two women, had a different name because it was understood both parties were allowed to step outside the marriage to create children. In every other way, it was the same as a husband and wife, living and managing a household together. Dagur was asking that Hiccup be his for the rest of their lives.

The thought filled him with dread. Last night, he may have wanted Dagur to rip off his clothes and rock the ground with him, but that was _all_ he had wanted. Sharing a home with him would be a torture. Dagur's crazy would become inescapable; he would have complete access to hound and paw and shout at Hiccup all day and night.

Dagur continued, "We will live together, rule our tribes together, raise our heirs together- surely with such a joining, Berk cannot doubt our devotion."

Suddenly, Dagur shot across the circle, ramming into the table right in front of Hiccup.

"Ack!" Hiccup cried and almost fell backwards out of his chair.

Dagur grinned. "What do you say, _husband_?"

He didn't need even a second to think.

"Never!"

Dagur's eyes widened. His mouth quivered. Then, he threw back his head towards the ceiling and screamed.

Hiccup stared at him. The man had honestly expected another answer? Wait, of course he had. Reality was a constantly shifting state to Dagur. Trying to kill Hiccup ten years ago or harassing Hiccup a few days ago, those didn't count if they weren't on Dagur's mind.

Furious, Hiccup jumped to his feet and leaned over the table.

"You are insane!" he shouted. "You're an animal! I can't _imagine_ the man or woman crazy enough to marry you! I hope for _their_ sake, you never meet them!"

Realizing that he was being addressed, Dagur lowered his face towards Hiccup's. His eyes were wild.

"Why!" he demanded. "Don't you feel it? Don't you know-"

"I've heard enough!" Stoick bellowed. He stood up and slammed his fist against the table. His face was red with barely contained rage. "It's because of _you_, Dagur, that there is no trust and I'll not sentence Hiccup or any other Berkian to a lifetime of misery with you because of it! If it's war, that's at your choosing- is that what you want? I don't think so, not when everyone here in this room knows you won't win. What you can have is a restoration of the old treaty, nothing more!"

Barring his teeth in a snarl, Dagur glared at Stoick.

"Nothing is _nothing_! I am done haggling over nothing. You have three days, Stoick, to give me a better offer- or I leave and when I come back, I take your dragons, I take your island, I take Hiccup!"

He marched from the great hall. His Berserker warriors followed him, leaving Hiccup and Stoick staring at the empty half of the room.

Hiccup's hands reached for his temples. He held his breath, then gasped.

_This is happening. This is really happening._

They had three days until war.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"There has to be something we can do!" Hiccup exclaimed as he followed Stoick inside the house. "This can't just be it. I won't accept it!"

Sighing, Stoick pressed the door shut. "Hiccup, you can't make life the way you want it by wishing-"

"I know that!" he exclaimed. "Ten years, I changed this island and I had to work for it. And the Red Death was a lot scarier than Dagur. I can't sit back and accept there's nothing we can do now."

"I know you've worked miracles in the past, son, but-"

"Miracles? That wasn't a miracle- I lost my leg! Toothless and I almost died! And Toothless, he wasn't a miracle. That was patience and kindness and willingness to see things differently-"

With a tired look, Stoick said, "And you think you can find a way to see Dagur differently?"

"Well…" Hiccup already had new eyes for Dagur and he wasn't certain he liked their gaze. "Maybe not Dagur, but the problem. Maybe there's a way to work around him."

"Dagur _is_ the Berserkers. They have always been fanatically loyal to their chief, in the past and now- their willingness to put their heads into a Skrill's mouth if ordered is what's made them so feared," Stoick said. "You can't work around Dagur to get to the Berserkers."

"Then we trap him. Something he won't resist and he'd lose if he tried to cross us."

"Aye, a trap? And what'll we use as bait, Hiccup? You?" Stoick's face flushed red. He pointed his finger towards the door. "Where did that come from today? Did you have any idea-"

"I don't know, he's deranged!" Hiccup exclaimed. "Living together… not all hearth marriages are conjugal and if he wants dragons that badly…"

He was babbling because he was lying. He knew perfectly well that Dagur hadn't suggested marriage as a means to gain something else- and that Dagur would want to exercise his connubial rights.

And Hiccup wouldn't mind that if not for the "marriage" part. He wouldn't mind using himself as lure, but he only wanted Dagur for a night- or two, or three, or a month- to work this ridiculous lust out of his system, not become stuck with the man for a lifetime. And all this was information Stoick really did not need to know.

"I could have taken off his head right then and there," Stoick growled lowly. The fierceness of his voice startled Hiccup. "If he ever touches you…"

"Oh, what a thought," Hiccup trilled. He felt hot.

"Stay away from him. He's more dangerous than I feared."

Wait, Hiccup realized. He had this conversation with someone before. In reply to Stoick, he said, "Dad, worst case scenario, he sees the first world without permission and I get to take him out. That could actually solve our problems."

Stoick's eyes flared wide.

"I agree, not a solution I want to explore," he assured his father, raising his hands. "I'm just saying, if he's that horrible, he'll end up screwing himself, not me."

_ "I have your permission?... What's wrong?"_

Dagur wasn't that horrible. Dagur was insistent and invasive, but at moments when it counted, he'd obeyed Hiccup's wishes.

_Can I use that?_

He would do almost- _almost_- anything to prevent this war. Considering this disaster was Dagur's fault, playing with the other man's head was an option Hiccup felt justified considering.

_ "You're cute when you're commanding."_

_Oh, yeah?_ Hiccup thought. He had no idea what his next move was, but he would find a way to make Dagur think he was _adorable_.

* * *

><p>Often, the path to a better future was progress. But traditions were important and sometimes the past still held the best solution. Since Hiccup currently lacked for inspiration, he asked Gobber for access to Berk's historic chronicles. Although the particulars of this situation were special, the broad strokes weren't unique among Vikings, and he hoped that some term in an older treaty might spark an idea in his mind.<p>

It took less than a day for him to find his solution. As he read the ancient contract, he heard a thunderclap in his mind- then his stomach did a flip.

This idea was crazy. It was…

_Deranged?_ his mind finished and he groaned.

Stupid Dagur. Stupid, steamy Dagur. Hiccup wanted to hit him.

He needed time to wrap his head around this, to see if his quivering stomach and fluttering heart would settle, and then decide if he really could do it- or if he _wanted_ to do it. Oh, a part of him was right now jumping up and down shouting "yes, yes", but that was the stupid half of his brain that wasn't considering all the consequences.

He walked to the great hall. For the first time in weeks, it was empty. He looked at the line of portraits on the wall, one that ended with the picture of him and Stoick- the accurate one, he remembered with a smile. The next painting to go up here would be him, probably looking much the same as he did now, with his own son or daughter. He had made plans for himself, how he wanted his life to be and how that child would be raised. If he did this, followed the proposal he had in mind now, a part of that dream would become impossible. But he didn't care, he decided, because he had bigger dreams for Berk and for the entire archipelago. There were things he could sacrifice and do so gladly if it meant his children would grow up knowing peace and knowing dragons not as weapons, but companions. The most wonderful, amazing companions possible.

_I can do this. I will do this._

* * *

><p>"Dad!" Hiccup rushed into the house. It was the last day- if this didn't work, Dagur would leave tomorrow. "Dad, you're not going to believe this."<p>

Stoick raised an eyebrow. "When you say that, you tend to be right."

"Dagur says he's willing to negotiate."

Stoick looked skeptical. Crossing his arms, he said, "That doesn't seem likely. This sounds like a trap."

"Yeah, well, this whole thing has been a trap. He wants to meet in the great hall in an hour. I've got my armor on- time to put on yours."

"If this turns out to be a joke, I'm chopping those stupid horns right off that ridiculous helmet of his…" Stoick grumbled and walked off to get dressed.

Hiccup smiled at his father's back in relief. He'd decided to approach Stoick first, knowing lying to him would be more difficult than lying to Dagur. One player was moving into place, now to mobilize the other. He left the house and dashed for the Berserker encampment.

* * *

><p>"Stoick has… reconsidered?" Dagur repeated. "That doesn't sound like him."<p>

"Peace is important to him," Hiccup said, crossing his arms. "It's important to me."

"And what _part_ has he reconsidered?" he asked, looking over Hiccup slowly. "Why won't you marry me?"

_Ugh_, Hiccup almost sighed. Why wasn't he surprised Dagur had just popped out the question like this? _Why would I marry you?_

"It wouldn't work out like you think it would," he answered. "Look, just show up. You've got half an hour."

"Oh, you're getting authoritative." Dagur grinned and licked his lip. Then he frowned. "That's not much time."

"But you're already in armor and looking dashing," Hiccup drawled. "Dagur, trust me on this. You're going to like what you hear."


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Hiccup stood outside the doors to the great hall and took a deep breath. He wished Toothless were with him. This could be the most important announcement of his life and his Night Fury belonged at his side for it- but if this worked, Dagur and the Berserkers would never be a threat to Toothless or any dragon again.

_This is the moment everything changes_, he thought in the stillness of his mind. Then he opened the doors and stepped into the middle of a storm.

The great hall was a riot of Berkian on Berserker, metal clanging and voices roaring. From opposite sides of the table, Stoick and Dagur shouted at each other.

"You mad fool! Is this your idea of compromise? Wasting my time-"

"Your time! Are you finally going senile, old Rumblehorn? You asked for me-"

_Ah, my people, being completely predictable_, Hiccup thought. He felt unfazed as he stepped into the central hollow encircled by the table. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he called out, "Good afternoon, everyone!"

Most of the fighters failed to hear him over the clash of their weapons, but Stoick and Dagur took notice. Together, both chiefs exclaimed in accusation, "_Hiccup!_"

They shouted and signaled for the battle to stop. The people were obedient to their chiefs and there was some hasty helmet and strap re-adjusting before the delegates took their seats. Hiccup waited patiently for the room to settle.

_Here goes_, he told himself. _Once I start, there's no going back._

He didn't want to turn back. Strangely, he didn't feel nervous and he didn't have any doubts. This would work. This was the right solution and he was in control.

"This is your doing, isn't it, Hiccup?" Stoick demanded.

"You got me," he admitted. "I had to get everyone together for this. I know how to make this treaty work."

"You went behind Stoick's back?" Dagur questioned and then grinned, eyes coming alight. "Is this a coup? Are you taking over, Hiccup?" He raised his ax into the air. "Men, to arms! We fight for Chief Hiccup!"

"It's not a coup!" he snapped. "Calm down, Dagur. It's going be exciting, but not like that."

"Ooo." Dagur sat down and gave a slightly less maniac smile. "I'm listening."

"So am I," Stoick said sternly. "This had better be good."

"It will be," he promised. Pressing his hands together, he addressed the assembly. "We need this treaty, both of us. But we seem to want very different things. The Berserkers want tamed dragons. Berk wants peace. I think deep down, the Berserkers want peace, too- and you're right, Dagur. It's not real peace if we hold such an advantage. For us to truly be your ally, we should want you to have dragons, too."

"Ha!" Dagur pointed across the table. "See, I'm right, Stoick! Even Hiccup thinks so."

"Yes, I do. Now shut up and let me finish. There's been too much bad blood in our past. It's stopping us for trusting each other- from believing we can ever trust each other. We need new blood. We need to create a new bond, one that can't be broken, to unite us."

"My idea, too!" Dagur called out gleefully. "Hiccup, I accept your hand in-"

_Of course, you do_, Hiccup thought. He spun towards Dagur and waggled his finger. "Ah ah. I'm not going to marry you. That- no. Just… no. Fortunately, there is another way."

He turned back to addressing the crowd in general. "When marriage, even a hearth marriage, isn't possible, there's still a way to bring together two tribes: a kinship exchange. Someone from Berk volunteers to help the chief of the Berserkers with, uh… making an heir. And someone from Berserker Island does the same for the chief- or in this case, future chief- of Berk. So my child and Dagur's would be considered siblings."

He paused and took a breath, allowing those present to absorb his words. In the silence, he felt the first stirrings of anxiety. This was the point at which either Stoick or Dagur could lose it and derail his talk. Considering what else he had planned to say, he hoped he didn't have to yell it over either man's shouting.

Dagur growled, "I thought you said I would like this."

"If this is going where I think it is, _son_…" Stoick began. There was a telling emphasis on his final word.

"You do want to sleep with my sister!" Dagur wailed.

Hiccup almost sighed. He should have anticipated that assumption. "That actually would not work-"

"You're right. It _wouldn't_," he snapped. "Because this requires a volunteer and there is _no_ Berserker who will sleep with you, Hiccup!"

"Oh, I think there is."

"Really? And who of Berk volunteers for the glory of Berserker Island?" Dagur asked sarcastically. "Who volunteers for me?"

"I do," Hiccup said.

Dagur rolled his head back and roared at the ceiling. "Oh gods, Hiccup, we know _you_ do! I mean the _woman_!"

"We're not going to involve a woman."

The other man stopped and gave him a scrutinizing look. "Hiccup, did no one ever explain to you where babies come from?"

"Hahahaha, good one." Hiccup laughed nervously, swinging his arms. "No, you don't understand. I'm glad you don't, but now the time for secrets is over."

He took another deep breath. _This is the moment. And everything _will_ change._

"I walk-"

"Hiccup, _no_!" Stoick cried.

He stopped. Rarely ever had he heard that note of desperation in Stoick's voice. Rarely, too, in such a place as this, would Stoick call out to him and beg not as a chief, but as a father.

_Sorry, Dad. It's my worlds and it's my choice._

It was his destiny of which he was seizing control and it made him feel… powerful. For the first time, he had a sense of the energetic force, the uncommon potential, that he had always been told came with being in-between. Maybe what he was meant that he approached problems differently and saw solutions others could not- and that was why he had been able to befriend Toothless. But more likely was that being male, female, or caught between both had nothing to do with it. This was who he was and how his mind worked; being in-between was another facet of himself that he had found a way to turn to his advantage.

He locked eyes with Dagur and saw that he held the other man's rapt attention.

"I walk between the worlds. You know only my second world. Now, I allow you to know my first. For the future of Berk and Berserker, for the dragons- for peace, Dagur- I will walk my first world with you. I volunteer for you."

Dagur's jaw dropped and he looked at Hiccup in awe. "You… you are…"

"I am."

"And I…" His voice became reverent. "I have permission?"

Hiccup surprised himself at the happy gasp that escaped him. Until this moment, he hadn't known for certain that Dagur would obey the boundaries. Even if he did, such consideration might come only from fear of reprisal. But his question, and the tone in which he had asked it, revealed that he respected what Hiccup was.

"I give you permission to speak of my first world. And to everyone else present, you have permission as long as it relates to the treaty."

"You are amazing!" Dagur declared.

With a happy squeal, he jumped over the table and into the center. He flung himself at Hiccup, wrapping his arms tightly around him. Suddenly entrapped by that strong, Viking muscle, Hiccup didn't know how to react.

"Uh…"

"We can make babies together!" Dagur exclaimed. "This couldn't be more perfect!"

_Oh, great_, Hiccup thought. This plan was going to work _too_ well.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"The Berserkers accept your offer of kinship exchange!"

"I forbid it!"

With disturbing precision, Stoick's axe flew across the room and knocked Dagur's helmet clear off his head.

"Get your hands off my son!" Stoick roared.

_Oh, Dad_, Hiccup thought miserably. At least he had managed to get through his big reveal without further interruption from Stoick; that moment had had the dignity and ceremony for which he'd hoped. Now came the ugly part.

"Excuse me, but your son just asked if I would put my hands on him," Dagur retorted. He squeezed Hiccup tightly and nuzzled his cheek. "Oh, my precious little Hiccup. We're going to make such mighty children! How many do you want? When can we start? Now? I'm ready _whenever_ you want me."

That last statement, Hiccup decided, was best left unverified.

"Okay, this is not what I signed up for," he said. He elbowed Dagur in the stomach, followed by a backwards kick below the shin, to get the other man to break his arm lock. Dagur released him and hunched over. "I gave you permission to _talk_ about that I can carry children. You don't get make one with me until there's a treaty to my satisfaction and both you and my dad have signed it!"

"Hiccup…" Stoick's voice was strained with disbelief. "What are you doing?"

He turned around to look at his father. Stoick's gaze was severe.

"Hiccup, you don't have to do this. You _can't_ do this. He's not a dragon. He's not another Toothless! You can't tame him! He's-"

"Deranged?" Hiccup finished. "I know, Dad. That's why I'm not going to marry him. I'm going to sleep with him and have some kids and that sounded much less awful in my head."

"_Some_?" Stoick questioned, repeating the word in a boom.

"Ah… ha ha… funny thing…"

"Do the math, Stoick," Gobber interjected. "In a kinship exchange, there's usually two pairings, one for each tribe. Hiccup's proposal is a more economical, but the outcome has to be the same: two babies."

"Two?" Dagur squealed in glee, apparently recovered. "We're going to have two!"

"Oh, shut up, please shut up," Hiccup muttered and then said, "I know it's a long-term proposition, but-"

"It is not happening. It is _never_ happening!" Stoick thundered.

"Why not?"

Stoick reared his head back, startled. From his reaction, Hiccup knew his father had not expected that question to be fired at him and he hoped Stoick didn't spring any surprises on him in return. He'd known that for Dagur this would be an easy sell- too easy and it was starting to feel creepy- but that Stoick would have to be backed into it. He had a dozen counterarguments already prepared, but he hoped Stoick wouldn't press him far enough to use the worst of them. His last resort would be to claim he'd run off with Dagur and create these children whether Stoick gave his blessing or not. That was how much Hiccup believed that Berk and Berserker both needed this, but he wouldn't pull out that threat unless he truly became desperate- it would break Stoick's heart.

At last, Stoick answered, "I don't trust him not to hurt you."

Hiccup took a breath. No, he hadn't anticipated that reply. It raised quite a question in his mind: why didn't he think Dagur would hurt him? That was an assumption he had made without even realizing it. When he looked at the past, it seemed ludicrous not to worry that Dagur might strangle him once they were alone- yet since arriving on Berk a few weeks ago, the worst Dagur had done outside the talks was make obnoxious comments and gestures and push on Hiccup one kiss. The rest- the other kisses, the grinding, the groping- hadn't happened until Hiccup had initiated contact.

Of course, inside the talks, Dagur threatened to destroy Berk and kidnap Hiccup multiple times. Was Hiccup being an idiot, letting lust talk him into something fatally stupid? Or had Dagur changed, just enough that Hiccup could feel safe in the same bed as him? Hiccup was going to find out the hard way.

"I don't believe that will happen, but don't think about me. Think about Berk. And think about the Berserkers, because now they're going to be ruled by your grandchild," Hiccup said. "This will be the best thing for both islands."

Stoick didn't believe him. He could see that as his father shut his eyes, looking pained. But behind him, the other Berkians were having a much different reaction. They were looking at Hiccup with timid surprise- and wonder.

_Huh?_ he thought. Why were they mirroring Dagur's reaction?

Suddenly, he heard the Berserkers giving a rousing cheer and someone shouted, "We have the blessing of the gods!"

_Oh no_.

His stomach lurched and his knees felt weak. No, it was happening, what he'd always dreaded might become his role- how could he have forgotten this? He had been so focused on the details- on bloodlines and the physical realities of continuing them, on his desires for Berk and Dagur's not completely unreciprocated desire for him- that he'd somehow forgotten the most significant reason he had hidden the first world.

Now the warriors of Berk were cheering and running about, thumping the backs of the same Berserker soldiers they'd been trying to maim not an hour before. Through the dull roar of their mingled voices, Hiccup could make out a few of their words: wishes spoken as if they would become certainties, names of the gods invoked- all with praise.

_Stop it!_ Hiccup wanted to shout at them. _The gods didn't have anything to do with this- they didn't give me this plan, it doesn't mean anything like that!_

The power an in-between was perceived as having wasn't absolute. That they had a unique connection to the gods and could bestow minor blessings, this was believed of all of them. But Hiccup was the son of the chief, he'd proven himself in battles against Berk's fiercest enemies- and he had shot a Night Fury out of the sky and made it his friend. No one was going to believe anything minor about Hiccup. He could protest all he wanted that he'd never heard the gods talking or invoked their favor and any person would simply point to Toothless as proof Hiccup didn't know his own power.

What had he started? Just by sleeping with Dagur, he would be conferring prestige upon the Berserker chief- but by going as far as to have his child, to _ask_ for his child, that was worse. The Berserkers might start believing they were invincible as long as they didn't cross Hiccup. And what about his own people? They already thought their island was special and that much of it was due to him- maybe they wouldn't ask for more and assume his blessing already had been received. But no doubt he had elevated Stoick further in their eyes, for being the one to father and raise him-

No, Hiccup suddenly realized, it might not work out that way. Stoick was against the kinship exchange. While the treaty's terms were still his to decide with Dagur, the exchange was tied too closely to Hiccup's status. If Stoick tried to withdraw it, others might think he was defying the gods, interfering with Hiccup's right to navigate his worlds freely.

Hiccup had thought only of how taboo restrained Dagur. He had never imagined it could be turned upon his father. He had wanted to convince Stoick to accept the exchange or at least come to an impasse using reason. Instead, he had turned this treaty into a noose that could strangle his father at the slightest misstep.

_What have I done?_

Hiccup ran to the table and dropped his head close to Stoick's to whisper, "Dad, I'm sorry! I forgot about the gods."

"Stand and smile, boy," Stoick said harshly, refusing to meet his eye. "It's your show now and you have to take it, whether you want it or not."

Someone grabbed his arm. Hiccup turned and saw that it was Dagur. Of course, it was Dagur. He let the other man pull him up and put his arm around him. He tuned out the noise of everyone shouting. Stoick was right, he thought morosely- if he didn't smile, everyone would worry something was wrong. So he did and tried to remind himself that this was a victory.

* * *

><p>It was dark when they left the great hall. Hiccup, with misery in his chest, walked a pace behind Stoick. He could feel the waves of tension radiating from his father.<p>

He had overlooked how his people and the Berserkers would react to him once he'd revealed himself. That had been a mistake. But he realized it changed nothing- it didn't alter the kinship exchange, which was still the best guarantee of peace.

_I'm sorry, Dad. I never wanted to hurt you, but Berk needs this._

They reached home. Stoick opened the door and stepped inside. He kept it open for Hiccup to enter after him, but he did not look back as he would have any other time. He remained facing away from him.

"Dad," Hiccup said.

Stoick hunched his shoulders.

"Dad, can we talk about this? Please?"

"I'm going to bed, son," Stoick said. "You… I suppose you'll do whatever it is you want."

He left the room.

That comment stung. Whatever he wanted? Did Stoick really believe this was what Hiccup _wanted_, not the simply best he could make of what he had?

_I'm doing the right thing! Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's wrong!_

The kinship exchange solved so many problems: Hiccup would produce his necessary heir, Berk and the Berserkers would one day have chiefs related by blood, and the war everyone had feared would _never_ happen. The chief in Stoick should appreciate all this- why now, when almost never before, was the father in him overriding the ruler?

"Whatever I want- I know what I want," Hiccup muttered, marching upstairs.

He wanted to feel like himself.

He wasn't going to sleep, he decided. He removed his armor and changed into his normal clothes, his loose shirt and vest. Then he climbed out the window. Fueled by anticipation, his run to the dragon academy was quick jaunt. The treaty had kept him away from this place for too many days, away from what was most important to him.

He found Toothless prowling the arena.

"Hey, bud," he said softly, reaching out his hand. Toothless raised his head to nuzzle his palm. "I know it's late, but let's fly."


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Hiccup woke up with sand up his nose and in his mouth. Snorting and sputtering, he got out the worst of it, and then stood up to shake out his clothes. Maybe falling asleep on the beach hadn't been the best idea, but he hadn't wanted to return to Berk last night. Instead, he'd lain down on a nearby islet and let the sound of the waves lull to slumber.

Rumbling, Toothless walked over to him and dropped a fish.

"Oh, hey, you didn't chew it first!" Hiccup said, picking it up. It was covered in grit now, but that was preferable to dragon slime. "I don't know about you, but I have sand in places I don't want to mention."

Gathering some driftwood, he asked Toothless to start a fire. He washed off the fish as best he could and then began to cook it- carefully. He shared his father's skill in that area, which meant most of his food burned. He and Stoick would have starved years ago if not for Gobber.

"You would not believe my week," he said to Toothless. "I don't believe my week! If we go back to Berk and I find out this was all a dream, I won't be shocked."

Toothless nosed his arm and Hiccup responded by petting the dragon's head.

"So Dagur was being a tyrannical brat and Dad was being a stubborn rock and nobody had any good ideas, so what did I do? I decided I'd take control of the situation, because that's never backfired before. And I…" He took a breath. "I got up in front of everybody, revealed the first world, and asked Dagur if I could have his babies."

As he listened to himself, he stopped and widened his eyes.

"Am I insane?!" he shouted. He started pounding his heels, kicking up sand. "I'm going to have Dagur's babies. Do you know how I _get_ Dagur's babies? Sex with Dagur! Lots and lots of sex with Dagur!"

At the repeated mention of the other man's name, Toothless growled.

"And you know what's bad, what's even worse?" Hiccup continued. "I _want_ it! I really _want_ it! You haven't seen him yet, Toothless, but he looks… _ooooooh_. I guess he always looked a little like that, but now he's… he's so much _more_ and… I just want to _eat_ him!"

Toothless responded with a retching sound.

"I bet you're interpreting that literally," Hiccup remarked. He pressed his arms together, resting his chin on his hands, and sighed. "Oh, Toothless, he's gorgeous. He's an insane, maniacal jerk and he's gorgeous. I have never felt this shallowly for anyone in all my life."

He closed his eyes and sighed happily again. Then he smelled smoke.

"There goes breakfast." He kicked sand over the fire, putting it out. "We should head back to Berk anyway. Dad has no idea where I am and he is not as enamored with this my idea as my pants are. Everyone else loves it, but that's because…"

What sort of treatment awaited him on Berk? He knew his people could be excitable; back in the great hall yesterday, they might have been feeding off the Berserkers' enthusiasm. Would their awe of Hiccup be temporary and fade once the island was calm again- or would they keep him on a pedestal now, apart from the rest of them?

"A chief does what's best for his people. I'm not chief yet, but that's what I'm doing. But if this isn't what's best for me, I may have just screwed up my whole life."

Warbling sympathetically, Toothless butted his head against Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup smiled at him.

"You're right, I have you. I'm not leaving you at the academy again. Some things I am putting back to normal when we get home. You're sticking by me, bud, and the rest of the dragons are coming back, too. I'll talk to Fishlegs and-"

He gasped.

How could he have forgotten? How, in the past five days, could he not have thought about her at all?

"Astrid!"

* * *

><p>"She's going to kill me, oh, she is going to kill me…" Hiccup repeated under his breath as he rode Toothless back to Berk.<p>

How could he explain this to her? How could he make this sound anything but appalling?

_"Honey, I'm just doing it for Berk…"_

Except he wasn't only doing it for Berk and alone in bed with Dagur, he hadn't planned to pretend he was. And he had already almost slept with Dagur without the intent of creating a child. He'd cheated on Astrid and somehow, idiotically, this hadn't occurred to him until now.

He hadn't thought of her at all. She had been completely driven from his mind. How was that possible? He was going to marry her- didn't he love her?

_Have I ever asked myself that question before?_ he realized with a jolt.

This was too much for his mind to handle at the moment. He ought to go straight to Astrid, attempt to head off any news before it reached the cove, but he had no idea what to say. Instead, he landed at his house and prayed that Stoick wasn't in. He needed to talk to his father as well, but he wasn't ready for that confrontation, either.

A quick glance through the house showed that Stoick was out. Maybe he was at another talk session, but would they be hosting those without Hiccup? Was someone worried about where he had been? He shouldn't have just run off- he shouldn't have just done a lot of things, he realized. He had been focusing so narrowly on the problem of Dagur that he'd forgotten about everyone else- except himself. When had he become so selfish? He felt uncomfortable with his own actions; they didn't reflect the person he thought he was.

"What do I do now?" he asked.

Well, he was hungry. That was a simple, solid problem he could work on to start. He went to the pantry and found a loaf of bread- fresh, judging by the hunk he tore off. Gobber must have dropped by. Chewing, he tried to think of what to tell Astrid, but nothing came to him.

What he should have done was told her about the kinship exchange _before_ he offered it to Dagur. She knew he had to sleep with a man or an in-between whose worlds were the inverse of his to conceive a child and she had always been fine with that. But he suspected she would not be fine with this- and that if he had gone to her beforehand, she would have told him not to do it.

_And I would have gone ahead with it anyway_, he thought, drooping his head.

He needed to tell her the truth. He needed to tell her everything, no matter how painful or personally shameful it was, and then let her decide what she wanted from him. It was the only way he could give her something fair, something that came anywhere close to what she deserved.

A knock came from the front of the house. Cautiously, Hiccup cracked the door open. Outside were Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut- the all usual suspects except Astrid. If Fishlegs was here, she must still be at the cove. Hiccup exhaled in relief. Good, he had a little more time to think.

"Hi," he said and noticed that all four of them were staring at him. "I can guess what this is about. Come on in. Let's get it over with."

He swung the door open wide, allowing them to enter. They arranged themselves in a semi-circle around Hiccup and for a few seconds did nothing but look at him silently. Then Fishlegs said, "We wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm fine. I'm _great_. Why wouldn't I be? It's not the first time I've flipped my life on its head," he said. "We are talking about what happened in the great hall yesterday, right? I assume you all know?"

The four exchanged nervous glances between each other.

"Umm… can we talk about it?" Ruffnut asked.

"Might as well," he said in resignation.

"So we can?"

"Yeah."

"We can what?" she asked, now insistent.

"Huh?"

Fishlegs cleared his throat and clarified, "Are we _allowed_?"

Hiccup almost slapped his forehead. Of course, that was what Ruffnut was driving towards. No matter what they knew, they couldn't say anything until he officially sanctioned it.

Sighing, he said, "I give you permission to talk about my first world."

"Dude!" Snotlout exclaimed, flinging out his arms. "I had no idea!"

"And yet you were the one to always comment on my lack of masculinity."

"Aw… now… that was just teasing. You're manly! You're the manliest-"

"You're not going to be able to make up for lost time, Snotlout," Hiccup said and then turned to the others. "Did any of you… guess?"

Tuffnut shook his head, but Fishlegs admitted, "I suspected."

"I knew!" Ruffnut declared, waving her hands.

Hiccup was startled. The twins were somewhere just below Bucket on the list people he had expected to never figure it out for themselves. "You did? How?"

"Barf can tell when someone's on their cycle."

Hiccup covered his face with his hand and tried not to turn red. "I did not know that about Zipplebacks. This happened three years ago, didn't it? The-"

"The moonsbane shortage, yep!" she confirmed. "It was nice to see Astrid on a rampage again. Oh, hey, now that I think about it, Gothi controls the supply and she must know about you because she would've been the one to declare you. You're the last person she'd have cut off, so you must have volunteered." She smiled and nudged his arm. "Thanks for suffering with us, Hiccup."

"Don't mention it. Seriously, don't mention it again. Ever." He forgot that Ruffnut- and on rare occasion Tuffnut- could be smarter than he credited her.

"What's moonsbane?" Snotlout asked.

Tuffnut squinted in disbelief. "Seriously? Even I know that."

"How do you not know what that is?" asked Fishlegs.

"How do you not know what that is _and_ not have twenty kids running around?"

"Because Snotlout doesn't actually sleep around the archipelago, he only talks like he does," said Hiccup.

Snotlout huffed and attempted to stammer a protest while the other four of them laughed.

Although the subject matter was awkward, this felt good, Hiccup had to admit. The five of them were talking and joking the same way they always had in the past. Heartened, he smiled.

"So we're good? This doesn't change anything, right?"

The others shook their heads.

"Nah…"

"No, not at all-"

"You're still you," Ruffnut said. "But now we know-"

"-you can do things!" Tuffnut finished.

"Uh…" Hesitant, Hiccup asked, "What things?"

"Things we can't. Like- oh, oh!" he leaned forward and whispered, too loudly to actually be quiet, "Can you bless Macy? Between you and me, she's been feeling a bit down lately."

"What?" Hiccup took a step back. "You want me to bless your mace?"

"Ooo, ooo!" Snotlout called. "If you're blessing things, how about my helmet-"

"No!" he cried, feeling a spike of panic. "I can't bless your weapon or your yak or your chicken or your house! I can't throw runes, I don't know who you should marry, I can't ask Loki to help you pick out a horse!"

He took a breath, trying to calm himself, and saw that others were simply looking onward in confusion. He made another attempt.

"I know what we've all be taught, but I don't have any special powers. I've never felt them. Maybe there's an in-between somewhere that does, but it's not me."

"Or," Tuffnut said brightly, "maybe you haven't come into your powers yet!"

Hiccup's heart sank. They weren't getting it. For a moment, he'd felt such hope that nothing had changed between him and his friends- now this. Now he had become exactly what he'd feared he would in their eyes: they would see magic he knew didn't exist, not a man.

Dispirited, he turned away from them and stepped to the side, crossing his arms. He wanted to tell them to leave, but he didn't want to seem like he was kicking them out. They might be afraid he was angry at them- they might become afraid of _him_- and not come back. After what he'd revealed in the great hall, he wasn't likely to make friends again. Knowledge of his worlds would precede him; he would be first seen by others for what they thought he was, not who.

_I have to say something to them_, he thought. But what? That he didn't believe? He was the only person who could say that without it being considered blasphemous and he could guess the response- amused laughs and headshakes that he couldn't perceive his own power. After all, his best friend was a Night Fury. What better argument was there for the idea that magic followed him with every step?

Abruptly, the issue became moot. The front door burst open and in thundered Astrid. Her eyes were blazing.

"Hiccup, I'm going to rip off your balls!" she screeched.

"How?" Snotlout asked, turning towards her. "He doesn't have-"

Astrid shut him up by punching him in the face.

"Astrid…" Terrified, Hiccup almost took a step back, but then he forced himself to remain in place. Whatever her wrath, whatever she wanted to scream at him or do to him, he deserved it. "Astrid, I am so sorry! Tell me how I can fix this."

"How could you!" she cried, walking towards him. "How could you make a choice like this and not even tell me?"

"I- I was thinking of Berk…" He stopped and bowed his head. No, he didn't want to make excuses for himself and more importantly he did not want to lie. "I should have told you. You should have heard it from me, before anyone else… I know Dagur's not the father we've talked about-"

"This is nothing like what we've talked about!" she shouted. "What happened to the plan, Hiccup? What happened to you and me going on a little vacation so that when we come back, nobody questions that I'm Mom and you're Dad? What happened to that!"

"Well, I might be talking that little vacation by myself on Berserker Island, but when I come back-"

"You still think that's going to work?" she asked in disbelief. "When it's so important that everyone knows your children were made with Dagur, why would anyone treat me like I'm their mother? Hiccup, I never cared that your children wouldn't be my blood, I cared that they would mine!"

He looked up and saw that she was crying. His heart ached. This was his fault; he felt awful, but it wasn't enough.

"Did you think I would just be okay with this?" she demanded. "That I'd go along with whatever you wanted?"

"No."

"Then what did you think?"

"I didn't."

Astrid gave him a strange, uneasy look. "What… what do you mean?"

Miserably, Hiccup forced himself to tell her the sharp truth. "I didn't think. With everything that was happening, I… forgot."

Her mouth opened slowly and her eyes widened. Whatever she had expected him to say, it had not been this. "You forgot what?" Her voice, for the first time he'd ever heard it, was squeaky. "Forgot about me?"

"Yes."

"How… how…" She started to shake, her tears flowing more fiercely. "Was I just _convenient_ for you? Was I just a cog you needed for your plan and then you thought of something better?"

"No!" he insisted, alarmed by her words. That wasn't how he saw her! Of course, it wasn't! "Astrid, you're my best friend after Toothless-"

"How far back is 'after Toothless'?" she demanded. "How far is it behind the rivet in your leg? Hiccup, do you love me?"

He froze.

"Oh, you are so full of shit!" she cried and punched at his face.

Hiccup, without even thinking, ducked and immediately regretted it. He should let her hit him. He deserved it- she didn't even know how badly he deserved it, how thoroughly he'd betrayed her.

When her fist met only air, she gave a cry of aggravation. Then she declared, "I can't marry you! I can't even look at you!"

She sobbed as she ran out of the house.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

After the others left, Hiccup went upstairs and curled on top of his bed. He felt sick over Astrid. How could he have treated her this way? It wasn't a lie he'd told her. Toothless was his closest companion, but right after the Night Fury came her. He confided in her everything, regularly sought her for an ear and a second opinion- and that had changed the day Dagur had jumped off his boat and landed on the dock of Berk.

Dagur ruined everything, but Hiccup couldn't blame this on the other man. He had chosen his own response to his urges. When he prided himself on his rationality and resolve, it was unnerving to realize that he was very bad with temptation. He hadn't been able to deny his curiosity with Toothless, and that had retroactively felt like instinct since it had led to such a happy conclusion. With Dagur he had resisted at first, then crafted for himself an excuse to succumb completely. An appealing element of the kinship exchange was that it justified embracing his lust. He had to sleep with Dagur for the good of Berk, so why not enjoy what was now his duty?

He'd treated Astrid exactly as she had accused: discarded and forgotten along with a plan that was now outdated. And it had been remarkably easy for him. What did that say about him? Something ugly and he couldn't help squirming away from the suggestion, uncomfortable and ashamed by it. He had thought he was a better person than this- someone who cared about others, who didn't make choices that were so obviously selfish.

Astrid was strong; Hiccup couldn't imagine a force terrible enough to break her. No matter how horrible he might act, any wound he inflicted would only stagger her for a time. But once she recovered, she might want nothing to do with him and he could think of no reason why she should forgive him.

Whimpering, Toothless shuffled around the bed and prodded Hiccup. Hiccup reached out to pet him, but only so the Night Fury wouldn't become anxious. He had no desire to be consoled. Eventually, he heard the front door open and heavy footsteps that identified Stoick. Another confrontation awaiting Hiccup and, in his current mood, he wasn't ready to handle it. Fortunately- sadly- Stoick seem unconcerned if Hiccup was home or not. His father didn't call out or poke his head up the stairs. Either it hadn't occurred to Stoick that Hiccup may have returned or he didn't want to see his son.

It was too long until sunset for Hiccup to consider sleep and he wasn't tired, only emotionally drained. He and Toothless glided out the window and walked to Gobber's workshop. The older Viking was in.

"Hello, it's the man of the hour," Gobber piped amicably, but Hiccup saw a glimmer of concern in his eyes. "You weren't with Dagur, were you?"

"What? No!" Hiccup replied more forcefully than necessary. "Why?"

"Oh, he disappeared last night, too. Probably went to howl at the moon. Where were you?"

"Out flying with Toothless. I haven't seen Dagur since yesterday," he said. A thought occurred to him and he groaned. "Oh, no. Does everything think he and I were-"

Shaking his head, Gobber answered, "I doubt anyone else noticed. They were all too busy getting drunk."

"What?"

"You missed quite a party. Everyone was celebrating- and now everyone's recovering. I wouldn't go near the middens if I was you."

"Really?" Hiccup asked. "That seems a little premature. I know everyone's happy, but we don't have a treaty yet."

"A kinship exchange with an in-between as one of the volunteers? We're guaranteed to be getting a treaty out of that- as long as you go through with it. What's going on between you and-"

"Nothing. I'm going to lie back and think of Berk," Hiccup retorted flatly. He didn't want to talk about Dagur right now.

"Alright," Gobber said, not without a hint of skepticism. "I'll tell you though, when I was your age, he's the type that would have turned my head."

"You mean tall, ruddy, and psychotic?"

"You don't know this, but your father, he used to be… ach! You don't want to hear about that."

Hiccup decided to trust Gobber's judgment on that. He dropped down into one of the chairs. "Great. So everyone's happy the _mystic_ man is going to have a baby."

"You sound like you didn't expect that."

"I didn't! I…" He sighed and confessed, "I was only thinking about the fact that Dagur and I have the right parts to make something. I forgot about the whole god-touched specialness thing."

The older Viking shook his head. "I blame myself and Stoick for this. You were so certain in what you wanted from your worlds and so strict with yourself about it, we overlooked this part of your education. You should speak with Gothi. There are some rituals that you-"

"No. I'm not interested and I never will be."

"Alright. It's still your prerogative. But people will ask."

"People will be disappointed."

"Fair enough," Gobber temporized. "Have you spoken with your dad yet?"

"Not since yesterday. Actually," Hiccup said, "I came here hoping you could give me a read on him."

"Afraid I haven't much to tell you. I've gone to check on him a few times. He's either not been home or told me not to be concerned. You know what that means."

"He's brooding." Not a good sign, but not anything different than Hiccup had expected. "I'll talk to him. I'll try to get through to him, make him understand why I'm doing this."

"I don't want to be pessimistic, but given the nature of the matter, time might be the only thing that will get through to Stoick," Gobber warned him. "Try to understand what he's feeling and not judge him harshly for it."

"Yeah, okay," he agreed. "I'll try."

* * *

><p>Hiccup would try, but not tonight. He took a long flight with Toothless to clear his mind and allow himself to mellow, then looped back to Berk. Again through the window, he entered his room and went to sleep.<p>

He went down to breakfast the next morning. Stoick was at the table and raised an eyebrow, but motioned with his hand for Hiccup to sit. That was an encouraging sign, Hiccup thought, but his hope faded quickly when more than a minute passed with Stoick saying nothing. They ate in silence, except for the noise of Toothless slurping down his fish.

_So, is it up to me to go first then?_ he thought.

Just as he began to open his mouth, Stoick insisted, "Hiccup, we need to talk."

His breath morphed into an unexpected sigh of relief. "Oh, good! Dad, I am sorry about how I sprung this on you, but-"

"You changed the rules on me, Hiccup."

He stopped. Rules? What was Stoick talking about?

Stoick's look was disheartened. "I have always respected how you wanted to conduct yourself in this matter. You said you wanted nothing to do with the power that comes from the path between. Alright, you wanted to prove yourself as a Viking same as any other man would and I was proud of that. But then, two days ago in the great hall, you went and dragged the gods into this-"

"Whoa!" Hiccup exclaimed. Was this the only thing anyone would to talk to him about now? "That's not what I did! I brought my first world into it, yes, but that's because I knew I could use it to manipulate Dagur. He didn't say yes because of the gods, he said it because of me. It's everyone else-"

"If it wasn't what you meant, then that means you didn't think this through! It seems to me you aren't thinking at all!" Stoick declared. "Do you understand what you've agreed to do?"

"Yes, Dad, I know how sex works," he retorted, unable to help himself. He knew it was a poor choice of response, but Stoick's fierceness pushed him to retreat to sarcasm.

"Don't joke. Not about this."

"Can we talk about the real problem?" he asked. "I went behind your back. I made a choice that fell under your authority without asking you. I'm sorry. But you never would have agreed to it- you couldn't. Now, you don't have to make that decision. You don't have to make a sacrifice for Berk by asking me, because I made this choice myself."

"Do you understand the nature of that sacrifice? I don't just mean what Dagur will do to you and what you'll be going through- one of those babies, it'll be Dagur's heir. You'll have to give that child up to him!"

Hiccup kept his face still, trying not to betray himself. Yes, he was aware of this aspect of the kinship exchange and it was the most painful one. He had been trying not to think of it. He needed to do this, so why make his duty more difficult by mourning the loss of a child that didn't exist yet?

"Dagur has to do the same with my heir. He has to give that child up to me. It's a mutual sacrifice."

"Dragon dung, Hiccup! It'll be no sacrifice for him, he won't care-"

"I don't care if he doesn't care!" Hiccup cried. "I don't care what he thinks, I don't care what you think, I only care that there isn't going to be a war! I get why it seems to you like this is the worst thing, but it's _not_, Dad! The armada at our docks, dragons getting shot out of the sky, Berk in ruins- that's the worst thing!"

Stoick closed his eyes. His face screwed up in pain. Then gently, he said, "Alright, I can see where you're coming from. Do you realize there's a way out?"

"I… out of what?" he asked in confusion.

"Withdraw the offer of a kinship exchange. What you meant to accomplish will still happen. Now that the Berserkers know what you are, they won't cross us for fear of offending Odin. We will have peace."

Stoick was trying, but his idea wouldn't work. Hiccup saw right away it would be only a temporary solution and said, "So we'll have peace as long as I'm alive- what about after that? The Berserkers will have no reason not to attack and it won't matter if Dagur's still around or not. They already resent us for having dragons- having dragons and me makes it worse. But through the exchange, they'll look at it like we're sharing our fortune with them. And our islands will have sibling chiefs- we'll be family! That could create a peace that will last for generations."

His father gave a heavy sigh and shook his head. "You've built this up in your mind, but it's not certain, Hiccup. I don't want you to find that out the hard way- when you're alone in the dark with Dagur and nothing else."

That line was sharp and it well summed up Stoick's real fear. Hiccup should have remembered Gobber's warning and how Stoick had never dealt well with this matter in the past. Stoick was scared of what Hiccup would endure at Dagur's hands.

Stoick had no idea that Hiccup had already _been_ at Dagur's hands and felt sorry he hadn't been able to let the Berserker go further at the time.

"Dad, you're going to have to trust me on this, but I know Dagur won't do any of the awful things you're thinking. I know he'll… this is not a sentence I can finish decently. Please don't worry. You don't have to."

Stoick looked at Hiccup, his gaze scrutinizing- then suspicious. "Is there something you're not telling me, son?"

"Huh?" There were a lot of things Hiccup hadn't told Stoick- some he hadn't found an opportunity yet, others were none of his father's business.

"Is there something between you and Dagur?"

"Wha- what?" Hiccup questioned. To his own ears, his voice sounded a little too flustered.

"He proposes a hearth marriage, you counter with this… this abomination! And now you're so sure of his behavior in private…"

"Dad…" Hiccup started and tried to think of a careful response. In attempting to reassure Stoick, he had said too much- he didn't want to say even more by babbling nervously. "Okay, you're right, I'm only guessing. He was respectful when I told him I'm in-between, so…"

"You said he accepted the exchange for you. Not the gods. Hiccup…" Stoick's look became hard. "Have you been messing around with him?"

"Uh…" Oh no, how could his tongue freeze now? "No! Of course not-"

Stoick gaped and looked at him in shock a second before bellowing, "Ye gods, Hiccup, are you out of your mind!"

He wanted to still deny it, but his stupid mouth- this time through lack of speech- had given him away. Saying "no" again, when Stoick was so sure of the truth, would only make his father angrier and the situation worse.

"Whatever you're thinking, dial it down ten… okay, two degrees. He kissed me. I punched him in the face. Then later I kissed him and… some stuff, but the armor never came off! You saw his reaction in the hall. He had no idea-"

"Hiccup," Stoick asked seriously, "are you pregnant?"

For a moment, Hiccup was so stunned by the question that he didn't breathe. Then his voice came back to him in a rage.

"Oh my gods, I cannot believe you just asked me that!"

Stoick flinched, as if he realized himself he'd crossed a line. "Hiccup, I-"

"How did you _not_ hear 'the armor never came off'? You know what, never mind that, do you really think that if I got myself in a bad situation, I'd jeopardize Berk to fix my own problem?"

"Hiccup, I'm sorry. I had to ask-"

"No. No, you _didn't_," Hiccup retorted. "You don't have to ask any of this! Why are you trying to find a terrible reason to explain what I'm doing? What's wrong with the real one, that I'm trying to prevent a war and save Berk?"

"Because you're destroying yourself!" Stoick cried. "You're making a mistake, Hiccup, and it could ruin your whole life- and I can't save you. What you are has brought the gods into this. I can't withdraw the exchange or the Berserkers will have grounds for a holy war. You have to do it yourself. Hiccup, I can't save you this time!"

In that honest and heart-felt declaration might have been an opening for sympathy, to make another attempt at reason- but Hiccup was now too angry to take it.

"I don't need you to save me. I never needed you to save me! I didn't need you when I was a little kid and you tried keeping me in the house because you thought I'd hurt myself! I thought you believed in me now. I thought…" He clenched his jaw and stood up. "All my worst decisions were made looking for your approval. If I had always listened to you, I wouldn't have Toothless. So what does that tell you about this?"

He left the table and, with Toothless following, walked out of the house.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

"Ta-da, we're off to a great start this morning! What's the next relationship I can wreck?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless butted his leg affectionately and warbled. The dragon was unusually melancholy, feeding off Hiccup's own sour mood. An hour had passed since his outburst at Stoick and he had calmed somewhat, but was still angry and now worried. Stoick couldn't stop the kinship exchange, but he could stymie the peace talks and stall the drafting of the treaty. Hiccup didn't want to step on Stoick's authority any more than he already had, but if Stoick was too stubborn- and Stoick was always stubborn- he would have to push again.

If absolutely necessary, he could work around his father. He was certain that Dagur, the most volatile party in this, didn't need the parchment to guarantee his behavior; Dagur needed the baby. That Hiccup could make happen at any time, but he'd rather do it with Stoick's signature claiming approval. Unlike with Astrid, Hiccup hadn't actually destroyed his relationship with his father, but he had strained it severely- and the further out of line he had to step, the harder it would be to patch things later.

_I wanted us to be reasonable about this. I wanted you to understand that I'm putting Berk first- that's what you've always told me to do! _

He had honestly thought Stoick would be proud of his motives, albeit not the method. When had Stoick stopped thinking like a chief and started being a panic-stricken, over-protective father full time?

He and Toothless walked around the village, Hiccup wanting to reorient himself and learn any news he'd missed. There wasn't much, only gossip about who had beat whom in a fight or had been seen sneaking off into the shadows together at the big party that had happened after Hiccup's announcement. People freely answered his questions, but now there was a cautious and careful hush to their voices and when they nodded at him, they dipped their heads a little too deeply, almost in a bow. Hiccup tried not to twitch. He asked if there was word when the peace talks would resume- Stoick would have the answer, but Stoick was the last source Hiccup wanted to check- yet no one knew, not even Gobber.

Hiccup went to the academy, where the twins and Snotlout were beating on each other. Fishlegs was there. He mentioned to Hiccup that he had gone to the cove to switch posts with Astrid, but she had insisted she wanted to stay.

"I hate to drive her out of there, but I plan to bring our dragons back soon," Hiccup said.

"Is that a good idea with all the Berserkers still around?" asked Fishlegs.

"Under other circumstances, maybe not. But if I tell the Berserkers not to touch them, they won't." It would be invoking the very authority Hiccup didn't want to claim, but doing so didn't feel quite as troubling if it was for the sake of their dragons.

He had nothing to do with the rest of the day but waste time. Later he would take Toothless flying; now, he tried picking a fight with Snotlout. For once, Snotlout was reluctant to take the bait and lift up a sparring mace.

"Oh, come on!" Hiccup complained. "You don't think I'm-"

Man enough to take it- was he really going to resort to that line? He knew why Snotlout was acting reluctant and it wasn't the "man" part, it was that Snotlout was a superstitious twit.

"You know what? Never mind," he snapped and flung his mace aside.

"I'll fight you!" Ruffnut chimed.

She came running at him with an ax, alternating between warbling a war cry and laughing. Hiccup saw that he'd tossed the mace too far away to snatch it back in time; he grabbed a shield and spun behind it before Ruffnut could take off his arm. That was enough encouragement to get Tuffnut going, except that he ran for Belch instead of a weapon. Hiccup whistled for Toothless.

* * *

><p>The stars were out when Hiccup returned home. He opened the door to find Stoick sitting and staring at the fire. His father shifted slightly, but did not acknowledge his entrance. Hiccup could think of nothing to say that might lessen the sting of their earlier argument. He had no intention of apologizing. He'd spoken harshly, but everything he had said was true. It was Stoick who had made terrible, insulting accusations of him.<p>

At the base of the stairs Hiccup stopped and, without turning around, asked, "When are talks resuming?"

"Didn't you know?" Stoick said flatly. "That depends on you."

"No, I did not know and what do you mean?"

"You're the authority in this now. The Berserkers will agree to nothing without knowing it has your approval. I might as well not show up."

Hiccup suddenly had some sympathy for Stoick; his father was right that he hadn't considered all the consequences of revealing himself. He had thought he was briefly stepping over his father's authority, not usurping it, but he had inadvertently turned this treaty into a mandate of the gods. Of course, they'd turn to Hiccup over Stoick.

"I'll make this right," Hiccup said. "Let's get everyone together tomorrow and I'll tell them that you represent my wishes and are negotiating for me. That will give you back control."

"It hardly does," Stoick said.

"Well, it's the best I can do," he replied quickly, beginning to feel frustrated.

"You didn't think this through. You better start thinking now. There are a few statements you need to retract," Stoick said, still talking to the fire. Which was fine, because Hiccup was still talking at the stairs. "No dragons. Tell them they aren't ready. Our riders will deal with their dragon problems if we have to, but they don't get an academy. You're giving Dagur too much already."

Hiccup screwed up his face, knowing his next statement was going to make things ugly. "No, Dad, I won't. You might as well use dragons to get some concessions out of Dagur, because I will be training the Berserkers."

After a moment of silence, Stoick said, "How did I raise such a fool?"

Hiccup wanted to turn around and shout at him. Instead, burning with renewed anger, he marched up to his room.

* * *

><p>It had been three days since Hiccup had seen Dagur. Encountering him again in the great hall, the other man's physical intensity hit him like a crashing wave. Flushed, he took his seat next to Stoick and then cautiously peered at Dagur.<p>

Dagur noticed Hiccup's gaze and puckered his lips, making a small smacking sound. Then he gave a maniacal grin.

"Oooh," Hiccup warbled, feeling a frizzling sensation in his stomach.

"Hiccup!" Stoick suddenly bellowed, his face reddening. "Don't you have something to say?"

Everyone else in the room laughed and Hiccup cringed. They had seen that bit of flirting? This wasn't going to help convince Stoick that Hiccup's mind or motives were in the right place.

Hiccup stood and cleared his throat. "Right. As was noted… wow, how long since you arrived here? As was noted before, we relocated our dragons out of concern for… er…" Dagur! Stupid, tantalizing, distracting Dagur! Hiccup had had a speech prepared and it had completely fled his mind. He cleared his throat again. "But we don't have to worry about that anymore, because it's clear to all of us now that we will be allies. And anyone who messes with a dragon would have to answer to me."

He spoke casually, as he were certain such a thing would never happen, but he still cast a warning gaze over the Berserkers' half of the room. He took care not to let his eyes fall on their chief. Dagur would only make another suggestive gesture or sound to disorient Hiccup again.

Trying not to wince at how warbling his voice sounded, he continued, "The dragons will be returning to the village today and I will be resuming my usual duties with them. This means I must withdraw from these talks, but I feel my presence here has served its purpose and I fully trust my father, Stoick the Vast, to represent the best interests of all of us, myself included." He clapped his hands together. "And that's it! So… have fun."

He'd never been good with speeches. He walked out of the hall quickly before he did something else to embarrass himself.

* * *

><p>"How do I get everyone to go back to treating me the way they did before?" Hiccup had asked Gobber.<p>

He had just held a class at the academy and endured the students gaping at him, as if he handed down arcane wisdom that had been zapped into his head. They hadn't engaged with him as usual- they hadn't asked questions, they hadn't offered comments, they hadn't even fidgeted. They'd stared as if watching him was the most important event of their lives and Hiccup had wanted to scream.

Gobber had replied, "Give them some time to wrap their heads around what's happened and for all the excitement to calm down. Once they're past that, they'll remember you were once that goofy kid always knocking stuff over with his crazy contraptions. But if you want to help, act like you always did. Be normal, whatever that means for you."

It seemed like good advice and Hiccup decided to follow it by busying himself with the typical chores that always cropped up around the island. Today, it was re-shingling roofs. According to Fishlegs, the younger dragons in the cove had been well-behaved, but they had had to endure with minimal flight time and were overenthusiastic in descending again upon Berk. The villagers were used to dragons scuffling things and took the damage in stride, shrugging their shoulders as they organized repair teams. Nobody had asked Hiccup to help- they would have in the past and that irked him- but they hadn't turned him down when he showed up to volunteer.

He was now on a rooftop, pounding nails into tiles. Snotlout was on the opposite slant, doing the same. Knowing the other man too well, Hiccup had insisted they each take their own ladder rather than share one.

"You know you don't have to be up here," Snotlout said.

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked.

"I mean you don't have to waste your time with this. I wouldn't be if I were you. Man, I don't know why you kept it such a big secret. I wouldn't have. I'd have told everybody! And then I wouldn't be stuck having to do boring stuff like this."

"You never fail to not surprise me," Hiccup said. Of course if Snotlout had privileged status he would milk it for every favor and last second of laziness he could. "It's not a waste of time. It's an important, _normal_ task and I'm just a normal guy lending a hand."

Snotlout gave a snort. "You have never been normal."

"Why, thank you," he said and for once appreciated the comment. Snotlout wouldn't have insulted him unless he was thinking of Hiccup as simply another person. "We can't all live up to your standard: Snotlout Jorgenson, the more normal, ordinary Viking there is."

"Well, yes, I know I'm… Hey, wait a minute!"

Hiccup laughed softly to himself.

After a few more hammer pounds, Snotlout began, "So, you and Dagur…"

"I've got nothing to say." At least, not out loud.

"Yeah, right. He's quite a man, isn't he? Eh, eh?"

"I wouldn't know," Hiccup replied and technically he didn't. Yet. Why did Snotlout have to bring this up? It was hot enough on the rooftop already.

"Oh, that sounds like trouble in Valhalla," Snotlout said suggestively.

"What are you talking about? In plain Norse, please."

Snotlout raised his hand. "Fine, far be it from me to pry. But if this thing with you and Dagur doesn't work out, I'm always available for-"

"What?" Hiccup said incredulously and wasn't sure whether to laugh or gag. "You're not seriously-"

"What do you mean if this thing with Hiccup and me doesn't work out?" asked a new, ireful voice.

Snotlout squeaked and Hiccup turned around to see Dagur- or rather Dagur's head, helmeted with its intimidating horns- poking up over the edge of the roof. He was standing on Hiccup's ladder and currently his face was a sneer.

"For once, you have impeccable timing," Hiccup said and grinned. He wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. "Go ahead, Snotlout. Finish your sentence."

"I… uh… I'm always available for a listening ear! Because I'm your friend!" Snotlout declared nervously and then looked at Dagur, bobbing his head. "That's right. I am Hiccup's friend."

Dagur's upper lip curled back. "Hiccup's friend or his _friend_?"

"Oh, really?" Hiccup retorted. "I'd rather throw up."

"Hey!" Snotlout whined.

"Hey, what? You should have seen that coming."

And Hiccup should have predicted that Snotlout would hit on him now, despite never having shown any such interest in the past. The other man was concerned with prestige and bedding with an in-between certainly brought that. Plus he probably thought some magic could rub off of Hiccup and onto him. It would be troubling if it wasn't Snotlout; instead, it was irritating and dumb.

Narrowing his eyes, Dagur rumbled, "Go away."

"Aw, hey, we're cool, right?" Snotlout asked. "We're just three guys, hanging out-"

"Snotlout, go away," said Hiccup.

"Okay, I can see you two need your private man-time."

Snotlout retreated to his ladder and disappeared. Hiccup wasn't satisfied with him being only out of sight; it would be just like Snotlout to eavesdrop on them. He crawled towards the peak of the roof to peer over the side and saw the other man had reached the ground and was now walking away. He guessed that Dagur had scared him enough to truly give them privacy.

Now that Snotlout was gone, Hiccup wondered why Dagur had shown up and if being alone with him, even on a rooftop, was such a great idea. While they were in plain view of everyone- granted, "everyone" was currently three villagers and they didn't seem to be paying any attention to what was going on above them- Dagur might not care and might be crazy enough not to recognize pawing at Hiccup would create a falling hazard.

_Oh, boy_, Hiccup thought, steeling himself, and flipped around to press his back to the roof.

"Hi," he said. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the hall with my dad?"

"We took a recess," Dagur answered. "Catch."

He lifted his hand and tossed to Hiccup a cloth-wrapped bundle. Hiccup uncovered it and found inside a small loaf of bread.

"Thanks," Hiccup said and tore off a chunk. Berries had been baked inside. He tried a piece. "Mmm. This is good."

"You think so? I was worried it's a little burnt."

"No, the crust has a nice flavor. What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Dagur said, and smiled. For once, he did so with his mouth closed rather than show his teeth. It was disarmingly cute.

"Thanks. I like seeing you. Er… definitely like the seeing of you," Hiccup blurted and scratched the back of his head. What an inane comment. Completely true, but pathetic.

Dagur tossed his head as if preening. Then he said, "So, Hiccup, you never answered my question the other day."

"Question, what question?"

Was he babbling? He was, wasn't he? He only seemed able to keep his head clear if he felt angry around Dagur. The rest of the time, he lost himself staring at Dagur's arms or his chest or, right now, his bright green eyes.

Dagur smiled sweetly again and asked, "How many children do you want?"

"What?" Hiccup blinked. "We need two for the exchange."

"I know that, but why stop there? You know, I am a chief," he said, raising his eyebrows. "I can support dozens if that's what you want."

Dozens? Did he say _dozens_? A dozen, singular, was already a stupefying and terror-inducing number, but dozens _plural_? Hiccup felt a spike of panic in a part of his body he usually tried to forget existed.

"I don't think that figure is realistic," he warbled.

"No, of course not, that would be crazy," Dagur replied, as if Hiccup were the one acting strange. "My point is that however many you want, I'm up for it. Ha, we can give them each their own fleet within the armada!"

"How many fleets make up an armada?" Hiccup asked warily.

"As many as we want!" he replied happily.

_Wait, isn't an armada the same as a fleet…? _"I don't think we need a whole armada of children. How many do you want?"

Why had he asked that? He didn't care how many kids Dagur wanted. They were going to have two and Dagur could like it or not- they were a mating pair in a kinship exchange, not husbands-to-be!

"Well, as chief, I have always recognized it is my duty to provide for the future. In the past, I presumed I would have _a_ child and then let you father the rest of our many offspring with… whoever, some woman, women, I didn't care." Dagur waved his hand dismissively. "But now that I know that _I_ can make Hiccup-babies…" He grinned wickedly and narrowed his eyes. The look he gave Hiccup was steaming. "Creating descendents has acquired vastly more appeal."

Hiccup had no idea whether he should lean back and sigh at the passion suddenly radiating from Dagur or if he ought to be completely creeped out and jump off the roof.

"Really? That's funny, because I always knew I could make Hiccup-babies…" _That is the stupidest thing I've ever said. _He needed to end this conversation now. "Two, Dagur. Two is a good number."

"Whatever you want, my delicious little Hiccup," he said and licked the inside of his upper lip. "Oh, before I forget…"

He pushed himself higher up the ladder and then leaned over to kiss the toe of Hiccup's boot. What was that about, Hiccup wondered? Trust Dagur to find a new way to be weird.

"Bye now. Enjoy the bread."

He popped back down the ladder, out of sight.

Hiccup stared at the vacancy left in the air by Dagur's head. Then, he pounded his fists against his forehead. No, no, this was not what he wanted! He didn't want cutesy little conversations in which he and Dagur acted like love-stricken idiots. He wanted wild, ferocious, wreck-the-bed sex that got him pregnant so that he could stop a war before one started!

Dagur had just acted like Hiccup had agreed to a hearth marriage, not proposed to have his children and then part ways. This misunderstanding came from Dagur's lunacy more than anything else, although Hiccup supposed his own sputtering and stammering and all but swooning in Dagur's presence might be playing a part. He really needed to sleep with the man already and get this out of his system- but he needed to make sure that when he did, Dagur understood what they were doing was sex and nothing else.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

"So… how are the talks going?" Hiccup asked casually, turning his spoon in his bowl. Perhaps his porridge would be more palatable if he didn't have to endure yet another silent breakfast with Stoick.

"Oh, fine," Stoick answered- and then said nothing else.

"Oh. That's good. So…" _I suppose you aren't going to give me any details, are you?_ He resisted the urge to sigh. "…that's fine."

Why was he bothering day after day to come down for breakfast? He could get his meals elsewhere, directly from Gobber if he wanted. He supposed he was hoping for a breakthrough. This was the only time he shared with his father now, but talking to Stoick had become the same it had been when Hiccup was little: trying to squeeze water from a brick.

Suddenly, Stoick asked, "What does Astrid think of what you're doing?"

Hiccup dropped his spoon, letting it clatter loudly against his bowl. So, it was going to be this again. Instead of quiet, Stoick was going to try sticking another needle in Hiccup to get him to change his mind.

"You'll be happy to know that Astrid shares your opinion," he said, unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice. "The engagement is off. It was the right call on her part."

If Hiccup had such a problem with fidelity, with keeping his head cool and his hands off whenever the next stunner walked by, he probably shouldn't get married to anyone.

Stoick's exhale was almost a growl. "You and her were a good thing-"

"Do we need to have this talk? Seems a bit unnecessary at this point."

"Have you thought about your future? How this might make it difficult for you to take a wife-"

"Or a husband," Hiccup reminded him.

"I don't care which you take! But most won't want to get involved-"

"Then it's a good thing I don't need to get married," he said bitingly. "The children of a kinship exchange are automatically legitimate. And hey, fun fact, in-betweens get to declare themselves to be _both_ parents if they want, so if I have any other kids, got that covered too. I don't have to get married ever."

They stared at each other, each with the same hard look on their faces. Then, Hiccup made a decision. He broke eye contact and bowed his head.

"Dad, this isn't how I want things to be between us. I know you're worried about me. So can't we just-"

He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Stoick stood up to answer it and Hiccup followed. Standing on their stoop was Gobber.

"Stoick, Hiccup, have you seen what's out here?" Gobber asked and stepped aside.

Waiting just beyond their door was a yak. To be precise, a dead yak. It was whole and intact, expertly killed for the best usage of its meat.

"What is the meaning of this?" Stoick demanded, his face becoming stormy. "Is this a threat?"

"Hardly," Gobber said with a laugh. "It looks to me like a courtship gift."

"A _what_?" Hiccup demanded, knowing immediately who this was meant for- and who had left it.

Oh, Dagur. Dagur the Unbearably Attractive, but also Dagur the Obnoxiously Presumptuous. This was getting out of hand, Hiccup thought. Yesterday's conversation about babies on the rooftop had been bad enough, but this was a public display. It was hard to miss a dead yak on the chief's doorstep.

"There's a note here," Gobber said. He untied a piece of parchment attached to one of the horns and handed it to Hiccup.

Gobber was wrong. It wasn't a note. It was a picture, a careful and detailed drawing, of what appeared to be a Skrill and a Night Fury. Mating.

Hiccup covered his mouth with his hand as he felt his face become red. Oh, that was… something he could not unsee.

"That's a well-endowed dragon," Gobber commented, peering over at the image. "How's it going to fit that thing into the wee one?"

"It's not to scale. I hope," Hiccup replied, feeling a bit… overwhelmed. He crumpled up the picture, making a mental note to burn it with the first open flame or dragon he ran across. Without looking at Stoick- he could imagine his father's expression well enough- he said, "I will take care of this. I will make this stop."

Time to have a serious conversation with Dagur. Hiccup wondered how much screaming would be involved.

* * *

><p>Hiccup's trip to the Berserker encampment would have been much quicker riding on Toothless, but he wasn't ready to reacquaint the Night Fury with Dagur. He would have to do so eventually- at some point, he would be going to Berserker Island and he would not leave Toothless behind- but today his dragon's presence would be a distraction during an exchange already bound to agitate Dagur.<p>

This was Hiccup's first good look at the camp and at a glance there was nothing particularly remarkable about it. It was neat rows of tents with men and women walking about outside, cooking food or polishing weapons or just talking. Towards the back, closest to the ruins of Mildew's house, was a tent larger than the rest, with a Skrill painted on the side and a small pennant waving from its poles. Dagur's, he presumed, although the Berserker chief wasn't there; Hiccup saw him standing by one of the campfires.

"Hiccup!" Dagur called out jubilantly, seeing him approach. "My small warrior! You look handsome today." He waved his hand towards his people. "Shoo. Go in the woods and find a thing to kill. I want time alone with my Hiccup."

Dagur was in his element bossing around his soldiers and it gave him an additional glow, but Hiccup had some insulation from the other man's charms: right now, he was annoyed. That meant that while he most certainly noticed the well-sculpted bulge of Dagur's arm muscles and the intriguing, almost inviting curl of his lips, these things weren't turning Hiccup's brain into a puddle today. No, they were just making him angry. How dare Dagur look so very good, when everything else about him made him such a bad idea?

After the other Berserkers left, Dagur asked, "Did you get my present?"

"Yes, I got your dead animal," Hiccup replied. "And your picture. Your horrible, anatomically terrifying picture."

"Do you like them?" he asked eagerly, smiling. He might have looked cute under far better circumstances and without the maniac sparkle in his eyes.

"They're… something, yeah. The yak was very big and the picture was… unlike anything I'd ever thought I see. Uh…" Hiccup sighed. How to say he appreciated the intention when he loathed the intention? "You're trying to be nice and you're doing a… notable job. So, thank you, but no more presents, please. Especially not overly large ones that can be seen by the entire village."

"Are you certain?" Dagur asked. "It's no trouble for me. My little Hiccup deserves nice things."

Hiccup almost rolled his eyes. "I have nice things. I don't need more."

"Alright, but is there anything you _want_? Because nothing's too good for my precious-"

At last, Dagur's unnerving cutesy talk pushed Hiccup to the end of his tolerance.

"You know what?" he snapped. "I'm not '_your_' Hiccup. I'm not your delicious or little anything, I'm not your precious, I'm not your small warrior, I'm not your tiny Night Fury!"

Confused, Dagur asked, "When did I call you 'tiny Night Fury'? Though I like it! I should start."

"No, you shouldn't, and you drew it in that picture!"

The other man shrugged. "Alright, no pet names. Just Hiccup, if that's what pleases you."

"Yes, that's what-" Hiccup stopped and blinked. "Wait. You're not going to argue with me?"

"Why should I?"

"You shouldn't, I'm just used to you being dumbly aggressive. Why are you so calm?"

"Because…" Dagur crossed his arms and smiled pleasantly- or it would have been pleasant if it weren't also so smug. "…I've found my center, Hiccup."

"Your center?" This conversation was about to take a bizarre turn, wasn't it?

He nodded. "You. You're my center."

"Me?" Hiccup asked dubiously.

"Of course," Dagur replied. "Everything is wonderful, Hiccup, now that I know you love me."

"Oh, Thor…" Hiccup muttered under his breath and then wondered why. This was Loki's doing if any god was involved. "When did I allegedly say this?"

"Oh, Hiccup, you didn't say it. You did better than say it. You showed it!" His face, full of adoration and joy, made him look more unhinged than usual. "In the great hall, in front of everyone, you confessed your desires and it! Was glorious!" He raised his hands in the air and then lowered them in a wave, fluttering his fingers.

"What?" Hiccup asked, trying to wrap his mind around Dagur's words. "Are you talking about when I offered the kinship exchange?"

"Of course! When you revealed your first world and said that I could enter, that's when I knew! Oh, Hiccup!" Dagur dropped to knees and hugged Hiccup's legs. "I'm so honored."

Hiccup had known- because it was pathetically obvious- that Dagur was reading too much into the kinship exchange, but he still felt at a loss as to what exactly the other man thought. A strange anxiety began bubbling inside him.

"What are you saying? Why do you think I revealed the first world?"

"So we can be together and make babies," Dagur cooed happily. He had started rubbing his cheek on Hiccup's pant leg. "Now, I know you had to put it in terms of the treaty because of your dad. Stoick's a problem and you don't like the easy solution, but once our first few kids are born, he can't really object to us-"

"Wait, what?" Hiccup demanded harshly. "Where are you going with this?"

An odd comment Dagur had made during a previous, equally unwanted profession of love jarred loose in Hiccup's memory.

_"I knew I had to wait. I was hoping Stoick would drop…"_

"You think my dad is the reason I won't marry you," Hiccup realized. "And you think I revealed myself as in-between for you."

In a complete non-reply, Dagur crooned, "Come down here, handsome. We can snuggle and then I'll show you _my_ world."

The anxiety that had been building inside Hiccup suddenly morphed into white, hot rage.

"Let _go_ of me!" he growled.

Surprisingly, his shift in tone registered with Dagur. The other man released Hiccup's legs and, still on his knees, backed away. He looked up at Hiccup in confusion.

Hiccup's blood felt burning, but his mind was remarkably clear. He knew how he wanted to handle this. He knew what he wanted to say.

"Let me see if I've got this story correct. We're destined lovers, right? And seeing you again, that made me want to pump out a whole horde of little deranged babies. But oh no!" he exclaimed snidely. "How can I do that if everyone still thinks I'm only a single-world male? Time to ditch that pesky secret I've been holding onto for my entire life! That's what you think, right?"

"Er…" Dagur's face was still bewildered.

Hiccup smiled. It felt so nice to have their roles reversed, to have Dagur stunned by one of _his_ rants.

"Well, Dagur the Perceptive you are not. Think about it. Take a moment and really think about it." His voice was a caustic drawl. "I am the only child of Stoick the Vast. Therefore, I am the only one who can continue my family line. I have spent my entire life knowing someday I would carry a child and that everyone might discover I'm in-between just because of _that_!"

"Ah…"

Now mockingly chipper, he continued, "So here's how the story goes for me, Dagur. About a month ago, I decided it's someday. I am finally going to have that baby. And then you showed up on a boat, looking _amazing_. Dagur the Convenient! Dagur of the Excellent Timing! What a stud!" Hiccup gave a laugh and then said, "No, really. What a _stud_ you are. Sorry, but you're not my true love. You're not my soul mate. You're not the man with the only magic rod that can stir my _mystic_ cauldron." At that, he raised his hands and fluttered them down, mocking the gesture Dagur had made previously. "I need someone- anyone, really- to do the honors, and congratulations! You're the biggest yak in town! You win!"

Slowly, Dagur stood up. He looked at Hiccup, his jaw quivering and his eyes wide and wavering. He looked heart-broken- and Hiccup had no sympathy. It had been madness for Dagur to expect Hiccup to feel fondness, much less anything greater, for him; the man ought to consider himself lucky beyond reason that Hiccup was going to sleep with him, because he certainly did not deserve it.

Dagur opened his mouth and screamed. "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Ahhhh!" Hiccup screamed back. "Does that make you feel better? Ahhhh!"

"No, it doesn't!"

"Me, neither!"

Hiccup had said everything he had, his whole piece, and it wasn't enough- he was still furious. He brought his hands together, balling them into a club, and ran at Dagur. He smacked them into Dagur's shoulder like a blunt mace and the other man seemed not to notice, too busy howling his unwarranted anguish at the sun. Hiccup swung his arms towards the side of Dagur's stomach and the other man caught him in his hands.

"You-"

"You are the most frustrating person I've ever met!" Hiccup shouted. "Odin was drunk when he made you!"

"I frustrate _you_?" Dagur demanded, eyes wide in affront. "_Years_, Hiccup! For years, you've been in my dreams, in my head-"

"I never asked to be there!"

"I love you!"

"Well, I'm only infatuated with your anatomy- take it or leave it!"

"Take!" Dagur declared.

"Then have it!" Hiccup yelled and shoved Dagur onto the ground.

Hiccup was inflamed, incensed, and well past caring about dignity or common sense. He wanted and he felt like he was going to burst from it. As Dagur sat up, Hiccup dropped onto his lap. He wrapped his legs around Dagur's thigh, his knee sliding under Dagur's leather skirt. Reaching his arms around Dagur's neck, he gyrated his hips against the other man; that his motion rubbed his knee against Dagur's crotch was a side effect he didn't care about one way or another.

"Hic…Hiccup…"

"Shut up," Hiccup moaned. "Oh, just shut up."

He'd wanted to do this from the moment he'd seen Dagur jump off his boat. The other man's physical presence was overwhelming in a way that was also compelling and Hiccup wanted to rub himself all over him, wanted to _feel_ him.

"The pants are becoming inconvenient, Hiccup," Dagur whined.

"Learn to live with it." He didn't give a damn about Dagur's pleasure and the Berserker was doing just fine if that twitching against Hiccup's knee was any indication.

"I… I can…" Dagur's breath was staggered. "But someday… someday no pants…"

"On that day, I'm going to ride you like you never got the chance to on that Skrill!" Hiccup hissed.

"Yeah? Well, I'll be on you like I would your Night Fury!"

"You couldn't handle Toothless!"

"Hello," a third voice said. "What are you kids doing?"

Hiccup screamed and flung himself away from Dagur. His brain registered recognition of the voice and he stared down at the ground in embarrassment.

"Gobber?" he asked nervously. "I did not expect you here. This… we… There's no way I can pretend this isn't what it looks like, is there?"

"Go away, old man," Dagur rumbled.

In an oddly light-hearted tone, Gobber said, "You two aren't supposed to be touching each other until the treaty's signed."

"We… weren't… all our clothes are on!" Hiccup stammered. "That counts as not touching, right?"

"Does it? You tell me."

"I'd… rather not."

Growling, Dagur stood and declared, "_Fine_. We'll finish this later, Hiccup."

"No, you won't," Gobber said firmly, but with an amused ring to his voice. "Dagur, I know he's cute, but if you touch him, Stoick will kill you, and then you'll be dead."

Hiccup got to his feet and brushed the dirt of himself, but it wasn't as if that could restore his dignity. He supposed someone other than Gobber walking in on them might have been worse, but not by much. He noticed that Dagur was staring at him, eyes wide and crazed, which was nothing unusual.

"Someday, Hiccup. Someday…"

"Someday what?" Hiccup retorted. "That's not a threat. We're putting it in writing that you'll get your 'someday'."

"Someday, we will do this without pants!"

"You make it sound so appealing!" he snapped.

Gobber's hook caught Hiccup's arm and gently he marched him away from the Berserker camp. Behind them, they left Dagur howling- it sounded like he might be warbling actual words, but Hiccup decided it wasn't worth the effort to try making them out. When they were far enough from the site that Dagur could no longer be heard, Gobber stopped.

"Hiccup, lad…"

"Do we really need to talk about this?" Hiccup questioned.

"I'm not your father. I'm not going to insist," Gobber said, giving him an imploring look. Hiccup had expected him to speak sternly, yet instead he sounded sympathetic. "But you're the closest I have to my own. Let's talk."


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

The walk from the camp to Gobber's workshop gave Hiccup time for his frazzled energy to wane. The itch he'd felt under his clothes, that he'd been using Dagur to scratch, was gone; Gobber showing up in the middle had been better than a drench in the ocean for killing any sense of need.

At the workshop, Gobber closed the door and shut all the windows. He gestured for Hiccup to take a seat at the table and then set a mug in front of him. It was full of mead.

"Little early in the day, isn't it?" Hiccup asked.

"Seems like it's already been quite a day for you," Gobber replied. "You're a bit hot under the armor for that lad, aren't you?"

He sighed. "Wish I could say 'no'. You're not going to tell Dad about this, are you?"

"Stoick? He's half-mad as it is. I'll not be the one to push him over the edge. For the sake of his sanity, Hiccup, have a little care. Tumbling in the middle of the Berserker camp isn't what I'd call discreet. You were surrounded by tents- next time, use one of them.

"I…" Embarrassed, he took a sip of mead. "How much did you see? Or hear?"

"It doesn't matter," Gobber said firmly. "But I am curious. How much did this… ah… magnetism lean you towards offering the kinship exchange?"

"It's not what you think…"

"I don't think anything yet. That's why I'm asking."

Gobber was the only person left with whom Hiccup could be honest. He answered, "It's not why I picked this solution, but it did stop me from immediately discarding the idea. How could I do it if I couldn't stand the thought of… well, doing it?"

"From what I saw, the thought is more than you _can_ stand." Gobber grinned, then gave a cautious look. "You haven't… er… let him visit the first world yet, have you?"

Hiccup took the question better than he had when Stoick had asked. Coming from his father it was an accusation, but from Gobber, he knew the older Viking wanted to know if Hiccup needed any advice.

"I'll admit sometimes my mind gets a little… melty around Dagur, but I'm not going to do anything like that and jeopardize the exchange."

"Jeopardize it- how's that the case? It's exactly what you will be doing for the exchange to happen."

"Oh boy, you haven't reviewed all the terms yet, have you?" said Hiccup. "Heirs are supposed to be conceived in the _opposite_ territory. Then, when everyone's had enough time to observe that, yep, there's a baby coming, the pair goes to the territory the kid will inherit for the birth. So if it's Dagur's heir, we start on Berk and if it's mine, Berserker. I don't know which one will be first yet."

"That's all ceremony. It can be waved aside and in this case, no one is going to object if the wee bairn pops up a bit early. Everyone might get a good laugh out of it, actually."

Hiccup winced. He did not like the idea of showing up to the treaty signing already pregnant and everyone else thinking it was funny that he and Dagur hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other. He was also certain that Stoick would not be amused- Stoick would become unlivable-with if that happened.

"Let's stick to ceremony. I don't want anyone questioning the legitimacy of this," he said.

It was the sort of thing Mildew would do if he were still around. Actually, if Mildew were still around, he'd probably _wouldn't_ because he was exactly the type of person who would be terrified of Hiccup's supposed powers. That thought made Hiccup smile. He'd finally found the one and only reason to feel sorry the old man was dead.

He fingered the rim of his mug, thinking. Gobber was the most supportive voice he'd heard since announcing the exchange, but the man was also his father's best friend. It made him wonder.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" he asked. "Or do you agree with Dad that it's a mistake?"

Gobber answered, "I'm a bit glad it's not my place to make that call, but I'm more optimistic than Stoick is. I don't think you've necessarily got Dagur pinned- he could still go crazy on us- but the Berserkers won't break a treaty like this. You may have found the one way to separate their allegiance from him."

"That was the goal- find a way to work around Dagur. Dad was so sure it couldn't be done. He was going to let us go to war! I saved us from that and now he's acting like it's Ragnarok!"

"To him, it is. He sees it as you going to lie down with the beast in its den. You say you're willing and so he should accept it, but if it's come to that then whose fault is it? Who shaped this situation?" Gobber asked pointedly. "Dagur on the one side, yes, but on the other was Stoick. If you have to do this, it's because of _his_ failure to make for you a better world."

That thought gave Hiccup pause. He'd never considered it that way, that Stoick might feel personally responsible for Hiccup choosing this solution, for finding it necessary. The idea wasn't contradictory with the fact that Stoick was being hostile to him now; one of Stoick's flaws was that he never communicated fear or guilt well. When he'd worried about Hiccup as a kid, he'd yelled and scolded that, too.

"I don't blame Dad for the way things got between our tribes- he tried, that was all Dagur! Yeah, I kind of think he failed with the talks now," Hiccup admitted, "but I understand that. He never would have come up with this solution. He's my dad and he gets so _weird_ when it comes to me and… you know. I know I overstepped his authority, but I felt that in this case it was the most responsible thing to do."

"I don't know that you both couldn't have found another way, but it's done now. Do you still feel it was the best choice?"

"Yes, I do," Hiccup said emphatically. "So how do I get Dad to accept it?"

Gobber leaned back and brushed his mustache with his hook. "As I told you before, I don't know that you can. It's going to be time and results that get through to Stoick, because he's not going to stop imagining the worst. Once he sees that you're happy and you didn't squeeze out a little monster-"

"Oooh." Hiccup winced, his shoulders hunching up to his ears. "This is Dagur. I didn't think about that."

"I doubt lying with him will make a baby Skrill wriggle out of you," Gobber said with a laugh. "Hiccup, once Stoick's got that grandbaby in his arms, his attitude will change. It won't be a magic arrow, you'll still have your problems to work out, but he'll want to listen. He'll want a piece of your happiness." Suddenly, he gave Hiccup a cautious look. "You do want a baby, don't you? This isn't just treaty business, is it?"

Hiccup smiled. "You know, awhile ago Dad sort of asked me the same thing. I know it's my duty and that's dictated a lot about how I've handled it- but I do. I want a child. I wish I could get a child in another way, but at least I can do something for Berk at the same time."

"Well, then, the best thing to do is make sure it happens," Gobber said brightly. "You still taking your moonsbane?"

"Of course, everyday. Why- oh." He dropped his head onto the table and groaned. "Oh, no."

Moonsbane was, after dragons, the best gift that ever came from gods and there wasn't a woman on Berk who didn't swear by it. Unfortunately, the problem it solved was one Hiccup now needed to have.

"Oh, yes," Gobber said. "Better quit the stuff or no amount of enthusiasm is going to make anything."

"And in the meantime, random cramping and bleeding. What were the gods thinking?" he griped. "How soon do I have to stop?"

"Technically, not until the day you and Dagur first… er… make an attempt. But it would be better if you stopped now. Depending on how long negotiations take, you may have enough time to track your cycle and that'll make things easier when you're… trying. It may sound fun, but trust me, you're not going to want to take a go at it every night."

"Dagur will."

"No one has that much energy."

Seeing how animated Dagur was, past and present, Hiccup had to wonder about that, but he thought Gobber's advice was otherwise sound. Continuous sex only sounded thrilling- eventually, it would become exhausting, especially as Hiccup expected noise and rambunctiousness from Dagur.

_What if he's bad at it?_ he suddenly thought. It would be just Hiccup's luck- and just what he deserved after throwing over Astrid for it. The one part of having a baby that he counted on to be fun was going to be sticky and miserable if Dagur's performance couldn't come close to expectations. Rattled by the possibility, Hiccup downed a swig of his mead.

Thinking about this drew other concerns into his mind. He considered shunting them aside, but now might be the best time to ask. The only person he could possibly question was Gobber and they were already involved in the right sort of conversation- plus, he halfway done with his mug, so if he wanted to get drunk afterwards, he had a good start.

"Gobber, what's pregnancy like?"

With a sharp laugh, Gobber asked, "What makes you think I know?"

"Not personally, of course. But people talk to you and I have no one else to ask."

"Ah. Well, I've heard different things," he said, scratching his beard. "Some women say it's a beautiful, uplifting experience and all the little discomforts hardly seem to matter compared to the wonder of new life growing inside them… and then others say it's months upon months of being achy, fat, and gassy followed by the most bloody battle you ever fought, worse than getting your limb chopped off. And One-Armed Alvi would know."

Hiccup gaped and gave Gobber a wide-eyed look of horror. "One-Armed Alvi has five kids!"

"Aye. Alvi always loves a good battle."

_I don't even remember what it felt like losing my leg!_ He lifted his mug and swigged the rest of it, then gave a sputtering cough as it burned going down.

"I can't do this," he said. "I need another option."

"Unless you can swap the order of your worlds, you don't have one. Sorry, lad, that's just the way of it."

"No," he insisted. "No, then… then I choose to not be sober. Give me another mug-"

"I think you've had enough," Gobber said and took the cup away from him. "Go home and lie down. I'll be around in a few hours with some nice yak stew."

"I am not drunk," Hiccup protested, pointing.

"Not yet, but with the way you just downed that? Hiccup, go home while you can still walk straight."

"Okay." He gave in easily because Gobber was probably right. In every other way, he now kept up with or surpassed the rest of the boys, but he'd yet to meet a girl who couldn't drink him under the table. "Thanks for the talk, I think."

"Anytime," Gobber said. "Hiccup… be careful. Have fun if you can, but don't let yourself get hurt."

* * *

><p>The mead, rather than give him a headache or turn him stupid, made Hiccup drowsy. He slept it off and then went flying with Toothless.<p>

That night, he studied his reflection in the mirror. The glass was excellent quality, with little distortion, but years later he still questioned the merit of the trade. He never felt good about what he saw, always wondering if the first world was too visible, if it would be the smoothness of his jaw or slight curve of his chest that would someday give him away. He supposed it didn't matter now- everyone knew- but he was drawn to the second world. His people knowing he was a man wasn't enough; he wanted them to _see_ that truth.

_God-touched- yeah, right. If the gods really liked me, I'd only have one world. I wouldn't have to do this._

He sighed. At least, as he'd told Gobber, he'd found a way to make his worlds work best for Berk.

"'Achy, fat, and gassy'. That sounds like fun," he muttered to himself. "Don't suppose I can pick one and ditch the rest?"

He wouldn't be able to avoid getting bigger and he was going to look especially ridiculous thanks to his slight frame. Feeling curious and a little silly- maybe some of the mead was still with him- he grabbed a blanket off his bed, wadded it into a ball, and shoved it under his shirt.

"Well, Toothless, what do you think?"

Toothless tilted his head and gave a look that asked if Hiccup was feeling well.

"Yeah, I don't know either."

The idea seemed distant, unreal, and he would rather not probe it too closely. Stuffing a blanket under his shirt was a joke, but actually having that shape… actually walking the first world… he didn't know how well he would handle it and he wasn't brave enough to interrogate his thoughts at the moment. He pulled out the blanket and dropped it on the bed.

"Only you and Astrid were supposed to see me like that. Now, I have to show myself off to both islands…"

He shuddered. He had barely considered that element of a kinship exchange before; other concerns- like keeping everyone he loved safe and alive, preserving everything about Berk that was wonderful and good- had been more pressing. And those still were more important.

"It's all going to work out, right?" he assured himself. "War's averted! Crisis over! Nothing left to argue about! But Dad wants to keep arguing and Dagur is… well, he's Dagur. At least I put him in his place today. After everything he's done, he should be overjoyed I'm willing to sleep with him."

Toothless growled, no doubt at the mention of Dagur's name. Hiccup walked towards him and scratched his neck to soothe him.

"It's going to be okay. I just wish everyone would calm down so it could be okay _now_."


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

After tearing through half the village, Hiccup finally found Stoick in Gobber's workshop. This was the second time he had checked here- it had been the first place he looked after the house- making him wonder if Stoick had been avoiding him or if he had missed his father by chance. Gobber himself seemed to be absent, which suited Hiccup fine. They could have this conversation alone.

"Something I can help you with?" Stoick asked coolly.

"Fishlegs says negotiations have been suspended. How does _Fishlegs_ know this and not me?" Hiccup demanded.

Crossing his arms, Stoick said, "You withdrew yourself from the talks, so there was no need to trouble you. And you have no cause to worry over it now."

"What's going on? Are you stalling? Tell me you're not stalling-"

"I'll thank you not to assume any more expertise in treaty making than you already have," Stoick reprimanded him sharply. "This intermission was called by Dagur. He says he needs time to think, so I'm giving it to him."

"What? He never thinks- he does. Are you being honest with me? Is something wrong-"

"Hiccup." Stoick face was tight and becoming flushed. "You do not speak to me this way. This conversation is over."

Hiccup closed his mouth and shook his head. He was getting so tired of this. It was now impossible to talk to Stoick without starting an argument- even if he tried to hold back his anger, his father found a way to provoke it. Sometimes, it felt like Stoick did it on purpose. Hiccup knew better- he knew the motives that Gobber had suggested were probably true- but that didn't give Stoick the right to be hostile or hurtful. With an angry huff, Hiccup turned and left the workshop.

Toothless, who had been waiting outside, looked at Hiccup inquisitively.

"I can't talk to him anymore. I just can't," Hiccup said. "I don't know why I'm trying."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Hiccup awoke to the sensation of a small animal gnawing at his insides.<p>

"Now? Really?" he groaned.

He knew that once he stopped taking moonsbane his cycle could restart at any time, but he hadn't expected it this soon. Why was his first world cursed with this? He'd never met a woman who didn't share his feeling that it was a trial, a weird mistake of the gods.

He pushed himself out of bed and checked that there were no other surprises. Satisfied he'd awoken to only an early warning, he took care of the necessary preparations and then lay down on his bed again to consider how he wanted to handle this.

The twinges in his belly were unpleasant, but not the worst he'd experienced. He certainly could get up and go about his usual routine, powering through the twitches of pain and general achiness he felt. But outside his room was the father with whom he could barely hold a conversation, the friends awkwardly hiding their newfound awe of him, and the rest of the village who nervously tottered between treating him as simply Hiccup or as some magical creature that could turn their luck to good or ill with just a glance. He very much did not want to deal with any of these things today.

"Toothless, we're staying in," he announced.

He snuck downstairs to grab food for their breakfast and some smooth stones. He had Toothless heat one of the rocks and let it cool as they ate. It was still quite warm at the end of their meal. Hiccup wrapped it in a blanket and crawled back into bed. Pressing the stone against his belly, he let its warmth soothe him. Not a cure, but it helped. He drifted back to sleep.

A crash jarred him awake. Bolting upright, Hiccup called out, "Toothless?"

He jumped out of bed. Toothless was fine, but definitely not happy. The Night Fury's teeth were out and barred as he growled at the man pinned under his feet: Dagur.

"What are you doing in my room?" Hiccup shouted and crossed his arms high over his chest. He hadn't bothered with the bindings this morning; normally he would have even if he expected to be alone, but today comfort had been his higher priority and he had thought only Toothless would see him. "Tell me you're not here to 'finish' from the other day, because if you are, you could not have picked a worse time-"

"No," Dagur answered dully. "I came to talk and somehow forgot you had a pet monster."

"_Oh_, call Toothless that again. I dare you."

Toothless gave a low roar.

"It's past noon- why were you in bed? Are you sick?" Dagur asked.

Hiccup groaned. "Go away."

"I can't, your Night Fury is on top of me. Can you get him to back off or do I have to wrestle him?"

Why was Dagur only logical when it was annoying? "Toothless, you can let him up. Yes, I'm sure," he added when the dragon gave him a questioning look.

Toothless stepped backwards, taking himself off Dagur, but he remained in a crouched stance, ready to pounce if the moment called for it, and he continued his threatening growl.

"Well trained," Dagur remarked, standing up.

"No, he's smart. And loyalty isn't taught," Hiccup said in irritation.

"Why is he named Toothless? Is it a joke? He has so many teeth."

"Did you want something?" he asked, annoyed. "I mean other than me and that is so not happening today."

Looking at Hiccup hesitantly, Dagur said, "I want to talk."

"That's nice. Go away."

"Are you feeling well? You look a little pale."

"It's normal, go away."

"You _are_ sick. What is it? I can get you-"

Somehow, Dagur's eagerness to be helpful felt more obnoxious than his regular behavior and Hiccup snapped, "It's a first world problem!"

Dagur raised an eyebrow, rounding his lips slightly. Then he held up his hand, gesturing for Hiccup to wait. He walked downstairs. Apparently, Stoick wasn't home, because Hiccup didn't suddenly hear a fight break out. Instead, he heard the soft chink of metal.

"What is he doing?" Hiccup asked in exasperation, looking at Toothless.

The Night Fury snarled.

"I'll go check. You can wait here. Let me get assembled…"

He didn't want a long or even short conversation with Dagur without feeling the most like himself that he could. While Toothless guarded the door, he wrapped his chest and then replaced his shirt. With a nod, he ushered Toothless back and stepped down the stairs alone.

He found Dagur in front of the hearth with a lit fire, holding a steaming pot. Carefully, the other man poured the hot water into an earthenware cup.

"Oh," he said, noticing Hiccup's arrival. "I was going to bring it to you. It still needs a few minutes."

He set the cup on the table, in front of one of the chairs. Hiccup supposed that was a cue to sit and decided to take it. It was his house, after all. Dagur was the one who needed to leave. Looking into the cup, he saw that the liquid was reddish brown, with tiny leaves floating in it.

"What's this?" he questioned.

"Medicine. It should help. It's good for other things, so I keep some in my pouch, but my sister taught me… some things about your first world."

Dagur wasn't wearing his helmet, Hiccup noticed. He seemed less fierce, although that might be because he was looking at Hiccup only indirectly, out the corner of his eye.

"Your sister doesn't know I have a first world- you mean she taught you about women?" Hiccup asked. "They're not that different. Well, obviously, they're different, or I wouldn't… Your sister tried to teach you how to impress women?"

"No. She knows I'm not interested in that that. But she said that someday I might have a daughter." For a moment, so brief Hiccup almost missed it, Dagur smiled. "So I should know."

_Does he actually want children?_ Hiccup wondered. Was it not simply an assumption or duty or some manly pride thing that he would have them, but a matter Dagur had considered and decided he genuinely favored? That quick smile had been sweet.

This, so far, was the quietest and calmest conversation he'd had with Dagur and that unnerved him. Simply to kill the silence, he said, "You never seemed like someone who would listen to their sister."

"I didn't use to," Dagur admitted. "Not until after… well, after I lost half the armada to your dragons."

There was a story here, Hiccup realized, and wondered if now was the right time to ask for it. Before he could decide, Dagur continued with a question.

"Hiccup… do you like me?"

Dagur never asked anything small or easy. The frank quietude of the moment had rubbed away most of Hiccup's irritation. He no longer wanted to tear into the man, but he still wanted to be honest.

"You don't make yourself easy to like. You're loud and brash and random. You run around doing and saying whatever you want. You don't care how others feel or you assume you know what they feel and it's always so far off the mark." With that last statement, a touch of exasperation entered his tone. He stopped and then continued with greater forbearance, "You see what you want to see. When you took over the Berserkers, you wanted a fight- so you used our dragons as the excuse. You believed we were hostile when we weren't, but you made it your truth. And now, with me…"

_You wanted me to love you, so you made yourself believe I did. _It needed to be said at some point, but right now it seemed too harsh- it could make Dagur shut down and start shouting or howling rather than listen.

Hiccup continued solemnly, "And, hey, I don't want to bring up this up too often, but ten years ago you did some really awful things. You tried to kill Toothless, you tried to kill me, you tried to kill my dad, and when all your cunning schemes failed, you threw the armada at us. I don't know how you remember those days, but for me, not fun times. Not a forgive and forget thing."

Dagur's brow furrowed and he frowned. His expression, from what Hiccup could see of it from the side, was disappointment.

"I thought you had forgiven me. You only brought it up once and then I kissed you and then you never said anything else, so I thought…"

Hiccup sighed. Dagur had thought his lips had magically wiped away the anger and mistrust ingrained in Hiccup during their childhood? The only thing that made sense about that was that Dagur would think such a ridiculous thing.

"Dagur, did you ever wonder why we never retaliated after all those times you attacked Berk?" he asked, making the effort to speak patiently. Somehow, he knew none of what he would say was obvious to Dagur. It should be, but the other man's mind churned differently from everyone else's. "At first, we didn't know that we could win. Then, we learned we could. We could repel you as many times as necessary- but going after you, going to your island and demanding justice? You may have deserved it, but all it would really guarantee is that good people would die. It's sort of the same idea now. If I harp on what you did or you deserve, this treaty won't happen. The future of our peoples is too important for me to let the past make me angry."

Dagur bowed his head and then shook it fiercely. Hiccup thought he was going to shout, but he made no sound until he asked with affliction, "But why… then why…"

"Why the kinship exchange?" Hiccup suggested. "Why do I want your baby if I'm not madly in love with you?"

Dagur lifted his face to look at him, eyes wide and wavering. Despondently, he croaked, "Hiccup…"

His look was pathetic and Hiccup felt a touch of unwanted sympathy. He could understand why Dagur might conflate Hiccup selecting him as a father with some declaration of love. Context should have kept Dagur from making that mistake, but context was something Dagur read poorly, if at all.

"It's politics, Dagur," he said quietly. This would be a harsh message, but perhaps he could deliver it with some gentleness. "You're a chief, you should understand that. I have to put my people first. My family has been the chiefs of Berk for generations and I refuse to be the end of the line, so I have to have a baby. If that baby is also yours, then it unites our tribes. It could guarantee peace- I think it will. Everyone got really happy when you accepted the exchange."

"I'm not happy!" Dagur declared. "I'm not happy at all!"

Whatever pity had been starting to grow inside Hiccup, that statement obliterated it in a burning flash. He snapped his head and retorted harshly, "Well, considering this situation is your fault, excuse me if I don't care."

After it was out of his mouth, he wondered if he'd finally said something that would push Dagur too far. Anxiously, he searched the other man's face for a sign that he was about to turn hostile and start shouting. Instead, Dagur drooped his head again.

"Hiccup, am I cursed?"

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"The kinship exchange forces you to walk your first world… and if it's my fault… then the gods…"

So on top of everything else, Hiccup had to deal with Dagur's fear of his powers? It should be a comfort the other man respected the taboo- the system protected Hiccup- but right now it felt like more of his madness.

Hiccup answered, "You didn't force me into anything. I proposed the exchange before you knew I had two worlds. And besides, I know your shaman taught you the same things as mine did, but they're wrong. I can't bless or curse anybody. I don't have that power."

"Oh, but you do," Dagur said solemnly. He looked at Hiccup briefly before darting his eyes back to the floor. "And not only because you're in-between."

Without another word, he stepped away from the table and left the house.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

Hiccup's nerves frazzled with anxiety as he stepped into his house, knowing Stoick was there. He had stopped spending time at home for almost anything but sleeping, and he almost never entered through the front door as he did now. The tension between them had become unbearable, so Hiccup didn't see why he should try. Maybe the distance he was creating would help, but if it didn't, at least he wasn't enduring Stoick's silent wrath. But right now was a confrontation that needed to happen and he refused to run from it.

"Dad," he said, keeping his voice even. He would try at the start at least to curb his frustration. "What's going on with the talks? It's been almost a week now without a meeting."

"This is not your concern," Stoick answered, little patience in his tone.

"Yes, it is. You know it is. What's wrong?"

"Dagur is still thinking and I'll not be so rude as to interrupt him."

Hiccup exhaled, gathering himself, and then smiled tightly. "Fine, I'll be rude. I'm going to go ask Dagur."

He turned around and marched for the door.

"Hiccup!" There was an odd note of panic in Stoick's voice as he called his name. Hiccup felt his father's hand clamp down on his arm- then, Stoick spun him around and grasped him by the shoulders. "Don't, son. Don't you interfere!"

"Interfere with what?" he demanded. "What's going on?"

"With Dagur? I don't know and I don't exactly care- but I know this," Stoick said. "The longer he takes, the more it will seem he wants to back out of the treaty. That will be an insult to Berk and, more importantly, it will be seen as an insult to you. And that is how I get you out of this!"

Hiccup worked his mind through Stoick's implication and his eyes widened. "You'll be able to withdraw the kinship exchange and Berk won't suffer any repercussions because the Berserkers will blame their own leader."

He couldn't believe this. After everything he'd done- after agonizing over it, after making the most pivotal speech of his life and single most important decision aside from not killing Toothless- the exchange might still fail to happen.

"Precisely! They won't retaliate or demand anything if they think Dagur is to blame- we'll have peace without that monster touching you."

"No." He broke out of Stoick's hold, taking a step back. "No, that's not how I want this to go."

"Hiccup…" Stoick looked overwrought. "You're acting mad. I'm trying to save you-"

"From what?" he cried.

"From yourself! You've got to start listening to me again-"

"I don't think so. I think you need to try listening to me," he insisted. "Why can't you try to understand what I'm doing for Berk? What this means for the future? Stop being so scared for me and be the chief!"

That was the wrong thing to say. Stoick's look hardened and whatever opening there might have been for reasoning closed. "Hiccup, I forbid you-"

"Let me guess, from visiting the Berserker camp? Talking to the other father of my children? Because that is going to happen!" He turned around and started walking again. "Sorry. I don't like disobeying you, but I have to do this."

"Hiccup! If you leave this house-"

He was out the door and cringing at Stoick's last words before his father had a chance to finish them. There had to be a limit to how bad things between them could get, but so far Hiccup kept finding new levels as he dug their relationship into an ever deepening pit. He ran for Toothless and jumped into the saddle.

"Mildew's field, now," he requested. "Sorry, bud. I don't think Dad is going to try to stop me, but I don't really want to find out."

Toothless took off into the air without hesitation.

Soaring through the currents, the wind help cool the heat Hiccup hadn't realized had been building inside him. He hated how broken his relationship with his father had become and had started to grow afraid that even someday, when the excitement was over and the exchange fulfilled, they would not be able to mend it.

"I just walked out on my father. He was reprimanding me and I walked right out!" he exclaimed to Toothless. Even when he'd argued for the Night Fury's innocence years before, he had never so blatantly defied Stoick. "Fifteen, ten years ago, I never would have _dreamed_ of doing that! He's my father, the great Stoick the Vast, and I just called him out and then turned my back on him. Past me would think I've lost my mind!

"And can you imagine what past me would think of the exchange? He'd look at me and say, 'So, you decided you are going through with the baby thing and you've picked Dagur. That snotty bully who almost drowned us and always throws knives at us and a few years from now is going to graduate to trying to murder us. Clearly I go crazy when I get past puberty, so I'm going to let a Nadder eat me now and prevent this horrifying future.'"

He gave a scream of frustration.

"Toothless, this was not how it was supposed to go. Things were supposed to get less insane and awful after I made my proposal. I knew it would change my life, I didn't think it would eat it!"

Mildew's old field and the brigade of tiny Berserker tents covering it came into view. From what Hiccup could tell, it looked the same as last time- large men and women in spiky armor walking about, engaged in the normal domestic tasks it took to maintain an army encampment. He tried to find Dagur's distinctive helmet among the soldiers, but couldn't spot it.

"Want to have some fun, bud?" Hiccup asked Toothless. "Quick landing, right there, by the fire."

Toothless dived, dropping them straight down onto the spot Hiccup had chosen with a loud thump. The Berserker soldiers in the immediate area yelped and scattered, then formed a circle around Hiccup and Toothless. They looked startled, but to their credit none of them pulled their weapons- not even after Toothless gave a roar that, although Hiccup could tell was playful, made a few of the warriors jump back.

"Hi, everyone!" Hiccup called out brightly. "Where's your chief?"

Several Berserkers pointed towards the back of the encampment, at the larger tent with the pennant that Hiccup had guessed before was Dagur's.

"Great, thanks. I'm going to go have a chat with him. I'd really appreciate no interruptions," he said in a cynically-lighthearted tone. He slid off Toothless' back and, grinning, told him, "Now, Toothless, you stay here. No eating people. We only eat Outcasts now."

Toothless' amused rumble told Hiccup that the dragon was in on the joke, but the Berserkers made expressions of alarm. Hiccup looked at them and smiled.

"It's been so hard to convert him to an animal-only diet. But you learn to accept random casualties when your best friend is the unholy offspring of lightning and death. So don't touch the Night Fury. And I wouldn't wave anything sharp at him either. He's in a good mood. You want to keep him that way."

Toothless gave the nearest Berserker a gummy smile and stuck out his tongue. The man squawked and skittered backwards.

Satisfied that Toothless would be okay- Toothless was probably going to have a lot more fun than Hiccup was- he headed towards Dagur's tent. Without any announcement or warning, he threw back the flap and stepped inside.

He found Dagur seated on his haunches with his arms crossed, staring into the fire. The light cast his face with a touch of gold and Hiccup found himself studying the slight hook of the man's nose, the curve of his cheek. It was a face that could be pleasant when it wasn't angry or maniac. Currently, it was somber- Dagur's mouth frowning, his brows furrowed in anxious despondence.

"Dagur."

Startled, the other man looked towards him. Quietly, he asked, "Hiccup? What are you doing here?"

"What I've been doing for weeks now," Hiccup said flatly. "Fixing the stuff you break."

Guiltily, Dagur turned away.

"I'm not in the mood for some crazy preamble before one of us says something actually important. Why have negotiations stopped?"

"They're not fair to you."

Already, Hiccup didn't like where this was going. What did Dagur mean by that- and since when did he care about fair? "Well, that's an answer, but I need more to work with."

"I forced you into the kinship exchange. Now, I can't figure out how to get you out of it without hurting my clan."

The reply threw Hiccup. He never would have expected something so similar to Stoick's concerns coming out of Dagur's mouth- but he could easily have expected something so self-crediting. He stepped forward and smacked the side of Dagur's helmet.

"Ow! What-"

"What is with you?" he demanded. "You won't take personal responsibility for the things you do, but you'll accept the blame for things you don't?"

Protesting, Dagur warbled, "But you're only doing this for Berk-"

"Of course I do stuff that's only for Berk, it's my island! And so what?" he retorted. "It's my choice."

"It's my fault things between our islands are horrible!" Dagur declared, throwing up his hands.

"Yeah, it is," Hiccup agreed. "But how _I_ deal with that is _my_ choice."

"Oh, but, Hiccup…" Dagur dropped his arms and tossed back his head, wailing, "Hiccup, I love you!"

Hiccup's hand twitched, but he restrained himself from hitting Dagur's helmet again- or slapping him across the face.

"That is a problem for exactly _one_ person in this tent!" he snapped. "I'm not dealing with this. I don't have the patience for your deranged little heartache-"

"I know you don't feel the same," Dagur cut in, his voice becoming surprisingly rational. "That's not what matters. What matters is that I love you- but I'm making you miserable. You don't like being around me. You yell when I'm around- you didn't used to do that, Hiccup! I yell, but that's normal for me. It's not for you."

Hiccup rubbed his finger against his temple. This was exasperating, because he couldn't quite follow the loop Dagur's mind was taking. "You drive me crazy. Aren't you proud of that?"

"No. You're not me- you're Hiccup. I want you to be Hiccup. But you're not comfortable around me."

"Since when have you cared about that? Ever since we were kids, you loved to make me fear for my life. It was your idea of a good time."

Dagur pressed his forearms close to his chest and curled his fingers, as if forming a heart with his hands. "That was before I realized the true nature of my feelings for you."

"Your memory is a shifty thing, isn't it?" Hiccup asked. "Because it was _after_ you supposedly fell in love with me that you demanded to see my penis, and shoved your mouth onto mine, and told my dad you wanted to kidnap me, and then- I love this one- tried to force me into a hearth marriage. That's not love. That's creepy!"

Sighing morosely, Dagur said, "That was before-"

"Before what? Before you extra-special loved me?"

"Before I thought you had realized you loved me!" he shouted, flailing out his arms. "I thought we had a connection. I _felt_ it. But even with that, it took so much for me to realize I love you- I thought you were the same. You needed a push and then it would become clear to you, too. I _told_ you about the connection, Hiccup. And right after I did, you kissed me and we…" His head drooped and he croaked, "We almost…"

Hiccup felt a surge of guilt. The event Dagur had described- the night Hiccup had met him alone behind the ruins of Mildew's house- the Berserker was not misremembering. It had happened that way. Dagur had confessed his feelings and Hiccup, too overwhelmed by his own desire to care about consequences, had thrown himself at him.

He had been frustrated and angry with Dagur for thinking his feelings were mutual, taking wishful thinking to a delusional extreme. But he had played an active role in affirming Dagur's perception, responding to positively to his advances, continually saying "yes" in circumstances when he _knew_ it would be unclear exactly how much his answer encompassed. Sure, Dagur had made a lot of leaps on his own, but until a few days ago, Hiccup had done more to encourage than deny the other man's reasoning.

And part of the reason why was that Hiccup hadn't _cared_. Peace for the archipelago was his goal and he had decided he would use whatever tools he had to create it- that included his body and Dagur's feelings.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I kissed you because I wanted to, and I didn't think…" He stopped. "But before that, I don't understand why you thought I loved you. You felt it, so I must feel it, too? That doesn't make sense."

"I know. It's what I _thought_, Hiccup. I _thought_. Do you understand?" Dagur waved his hands, making little circular motions with his fingers. "I thought you thought like me, because we're different from other people. But you think in angles. I think in…"

"Loops. Twists," Hiccup finished.

"Yes!" Dagur thrust his hand towards him, for a moment smiling. "You understand!"

"I think? I'm not sure I do. But it doesn't justify anything you did in the past or how you've been behaving now."

"I break things, isn't that what you said? You're right, I do. I used to love it," he confessed. "Do you know how my father died?"

Hiccup felt a sudden chill. "No. You've always hinted that… Did you do it, Dagur?"

He shook his head and looked back at the fire. "My father was old, older than Stoick is now. He got sick. That's just the way of things when you get to that age. I looked at my father and thought to have lived so long and not died in battle, how shameful. How… unBerserker. The only way I could salvage my father's honor was to make it seem like he had had to be eliminated. I resented that. I thought he was just a stupid old man.

"I thought our true path was how we had lived in the past. I would restore the Berserkers to their former glory. I would make us the scourge of the archipelago again. And your dragons… oh, Hiccup." A slight, self-depreciating laugh rattled his shoulder guards. "Your dragons showed up right after I became chief. The timing was perfect. I thought it was a sign. I'd have your Night Fury or I'd have my Skrill or… I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with you yet."

"You already explained that part," Hiccup reminded him, not wanting to hear again how Dagur had reached the conclusion that he was in love. Hiccup still didn't get that; it made no sense to him, even though he believed Dagur was honest in claiming what he felt.

"I never felt so alive as I did doing battle with you. Alive and so, so, so frustrated! I didn't notice, I didn't even care, about the toll it was taking on the armada. On my island. We're still strong, Hiccup, but we're not what we were. I lost what my father tried to preserve. I used to be so ashamed of him. Now…" He lowered his face. "I can't imagine how ashamed he would be of me. I'm not him. I never could have been him, but… maybe I shouldn't have tried breaking things to prove it. I almost broke my people. They don't act like it- they don't think so- but I know it's the truth. And I broke us before we had a chance to be."

_"I made a mistake and it's hurt me, it's hurt my tribe…"_

Dagur had shouted that Hiccup weeks ago and he had forgotten because at the time, he had thought it was a lie. Now, Dagur had explained how well he knew his own declaration to be true and Hiccup felt staggered by it. He knew this story from the side of the victor, as good triumphing over crazy, but for Dagur it was a tragedy- and he now had the self-awareness to realize it was his own fault, that none of it had had to happen. What had occurred in the last ten years to make Dagur change so radically? Hiccup wanted to ask, but he was afraid the other man would answer, "I fell in love with you."

_He's different. He's actually different._

This wasn't a monster anymore or a ball of frantic madness: this was a man. Still off-kilter and in a long-distance relationship with reality, but another human being with feelings and a heart- one Hiccup had been using. The day he had offered the kinship exchange, he had stepped into the great hall assuming Dagur would accept because of his professed love.

The kindest thing would be to withdraw the exchange. Dagur needed the chance to get over Hiccup; actually having sex with him- and even worse, creating children- wouldn't help that happen. But that brought Hiccup back to the same problems he'd been trying to solve before: how to get Berk and the Berserkers to trust each other, how to make this peace last for longer than just his lifetime. Whatever pity he felt for Dagur now, that didn't change the fact this situation wouldn't exist without the Berserker chief's willfully terrible choices in the past. Maybe this, a broken heart, was simply the price Dagur had to pay.

"You can redeem your past, Dagur, but only if you be the chief your people need now," he urged. "We both know our islands need this treaty. It preserves what my people already have- but for yours, it will open up a whole new world to them. Dragons will change everything for the Berserkers, but there's no way my people will agree to it without the exchange. We have to go through with it."

"I know it's best for my people, but how can I?" Dagur murmured sadly. "How can I put you through that? I would do anything to fix this, but how can I make you suffer any more than I already have?"

Hiccup took a breath. The exchange had to happen. He had to coax Dagur away from feeling guilty and towards acceptance. It was still manipulation, preying upon the other man's emotions for something he knew would be to Dagur's personal detriment- but not to the detriment of Berk or of the Berserkers. Did that make it okay? Was it okay so long as he was honest, if he was as clear as possible about his motives and what he would give- if he made sure Dagur understood Hiccup's end of the agreement?

"What makes you think I'd be suffering?"

Dagur looked up at him in confusion.

"The way I've been acting around you- the stammering and the mooning and the staring- it isn't a lie. The truth is…" Hiccup winced. "I find you ridiculously, inordinately attractive and it's been driving me crazy ever since you jumped off that boat."

"Hiccup…" Dagur blinked.

"I have to have a baby. That is a fact whether the exchange happens or not. A few days ago I said I didn't care with whom- _that_ was the lie. I want it to be you."

"Hiccup…" Dagur's voice was breathy. Then his eyes narrowed and he demanded, "You're not lying to me now, are you, Hiccup? You've lied to me before."

"I know. So let me be blunt. What I was doing to your leg last week should tell you I plan on a bit more than lying back and thinking of Berk." Hiccup paused, letting that statement sink into Dagur's mind. "I'm sorry. I can't give you what you want. I don't love you, I won't marry you, but… will you be the other father of my children?"

He felt a rush of heat through his body as he said it. Oh, gods, he wasn't lying. He was going to scream if Dagur said no.

Slowly, Dagur stood up. As he rose, it was as if a transformation came over him. He turned towards Hiccup, the old maniac sparkle returning to his eyes. Leaning forward, he said, "Oh, _Hiccup_."

He grabbed Hiccup by the arm. Hiccup felt himself spin around and when his mind reoriented, he was leaning back in Dagur's arms with the other man giving him a most enchanting leer.

"This is what you want, Hiccup? Is it?"

That fire, which by now was all too familiar, blazed through him and he almost sighed.

"Like a Scauldron wants water."

"You're no Scauldron," Dagur said, raising Hiccup closer to his face, to his lips. "You're my tiny Night-"

A loud crash came from outside.

Dagur rolled his head and groaned. "What? What is it _now_? Am I _ever_ going to get to take your clothes off?"

They peaked outside and saw that several of the tents had been flattened- and the culprit was quite obviously the Night Fury happily gamboling around the camp. The Berserkers were conducting themselves in as orderly of a fashion as possible, sticking together in tight units as they skittered out of his path.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup said. "I know he looks dangerous, but Toothless is actually a big goof. I'll get him to stop."

"No, no, let him. This is fun to watch," Dagur said. "You want to continue this later?"

"I wish! But we better not- I don't want to risk little Dagur-or-Hiccup making an early appearance."

"What if we use moonsbane? Nott says it's effective."

_Who's Nott?_ Hiccup wondered and shook his head. "When I look at you, I feel like I could eat a whole bag of the stuff and you'd still get me pregnant."

Dagur gave a wide, self-satisfied grin. "That's a theory I'd like to test. But if you say wait, we'll wait." He reached for Hiccup's hand and clasped it gently. "Tell Stoick that talks resume tomorrow. If that's what you want, I'll be there. If I can make you happy, I will."


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

_So, once again, I've saved the treaty_, Hiccup thought. He hoped he didn't have to go through another round of this. It was exhausting each time.

After telling Dagur he should end the joke and inform his soldiers that Night Furies didn't actually eat people, Hiccup got Toothless' attention with a dragon call and the two of them flew back to the main village. Steeling himself, he headed for home. He could not imagine what reprimand Stoick had planned for this insubordination- and, somewhat worse, he wasn't sure if he would accept it or once again walk out. Stoick had never gotten physical- shoving Hiccup into the house was the most force he'd ever used on him- and he didn't think his father would start now, never mind that he wasn't a boy anymore and too old for such punishment. That meant there was really nothing Stoick could _do_ to stop Hiccup from anything.

What a startling thought. What external restraints still held him? He now seemed free to do whatever he wanted. That idea should be empowering, but it made him nervous. He was now discovering how much influence he commanded and its recent effects had been more profound than anything he had intended.

Stoick wasn't at home, but that wasn't a relief; Hiccup needed to deliver Dagur's message. He checked Gobber's workshop. The door was closed and he could hear voices behind it, one of which was his father's. Hiccup felt a momentary temptation to eavesdrop, but he had done enough behind his father's back today and he wasn't certain he wanted to hear Stoick's rage or disappointment. He knocked.

Gobber opened the door, standing full in the entryway. Hiccup could tell he was trying to block his view.

"Oh, ah, Hiccup. Now's not the best time…"

"I know you've got Dad with you. Tell him the talks are back on tomorrow."

To his surprise, Gobber sighed and shook his head. "Sweet Frigg, the two of you…" He looked over his shoulder. "Stoick! Isn't there something you want to say to Hiccup?"

An angry mutter came from behind him.

"He doesn't mean that," Gobber said quietly.

"I didn't even hear what he said," Hiccup replied, feeling his own temper rise. "Bye, Gobber."

He walked away.

He decided he'd done enough for Berk for today. Now, he wanted a little peace of his own, space and time by himself to think. The nearby waters were full of private islets, of which he and Toothless had their favorites. They flew to one of the sea stacks. Hiccup sat and watched the spray of the ocean strike against the rocks. Toothless butted his nose against his shoulder and Hiccup reached his arm up to scratch him.

Here, listening to the waves and feeling the warmth of Toothless' closeness, it was easy to let go of his anger. He didn't want Stoick to sour his thoughts, not when today he had witnessed something he had never imagined was possible. Dagur expressing a sorrow that wasn't self-absorbed or selfish. Dagur speaking of regret.

Mildew had tricked Hiccup once that way and Alvin had tried the same, but this he felt was sincere. Dagur could be clever, but he was never subtle. An elaborate rouse of this type required a much deeper level of manipulation and pretending than Hiccup believed was within Dagur's capacity. No, as incredible as it was, Dagur had spoken honestly and that brought Hiccup to a startling conclusion.

Dagur had _changed_. It hadn't been immediately apparent- or apparent at all- with most of his behavior still as brash and wild as it had been in his teens, with his continued lack of impulse control and unawareness of boundaries, but he wasn't the same tyrannical beast who had tried to make himself Hiccup's nemesis. He finally cared about his tribe and his own impact on the archipelago.

It gave Hiccup hope. He had never believed the kinship exchange would magically fix everything, only that it would give him influence over the Berserkers and leverage over Dagur. It had been a trap, one he'd set anticipating that even with Dagur's compliance, he'd still have to wrestle against the other man's impulses. Now, he suspected the path to unity wouldn't be quite so onerous. He doubted his and Dagur's visions of the future matched, but they might be similar after all.

Maybe it was too much to hope for. It would still take a lot of work to change how the Berserkers treated dragons and how both islands treated each other. And maybe it was a too ambitious desire, but perhaps Dagur's company- not just sex- was something Hiccup could enjoy, too. He felt very curious and a little excited to find out.

* * *

><p>The next day, Hiccup hung around his room listening for movement downstairs. Slightly before noon, he heard Stoick leave. The talks were back on track then. He grabbed some bread and ate it while Toothless scarfed down a basket of fish.<p>

After eating, Hiccup followed what had become his new routine: he walked a circuit around Berk, seeing if there were any odd tasks to be completed. He kept to the farms and the village, staying away from the academy. He considered that Astrid's territory and giving her space was the least he could do.

Today there were no jobs to be had, at least not without depriving Bucket of feeling useful, so Hiccup went to the forge. If there was work left in the shop, he knew Gobber wouldn't mind him finishing it. He found just enough to occupy his hands for a few hours: a mail shirt with several broken links, a bent sword, and a mangled saddle. He decided to start with the sword and heated up the forge.

With his tools in hand, a wave of comforting familiarity washed over him. It had been far too long since he'd worked with metal or schematics for a new invention. Even before the Berserkers' arrival, too many things had pulled at his attention: training new dragons and new riders, addressing the responsibilities Stoick piled on him as deputy chief. Well, Hiccup had probably lost both of those duties- Astrid was better off without him and Stoick didn't want him. Plenty of time in the future to focus on gadgetry and exploring the archipelago again. Or maybe not, he thought wistfully, remembering that he was about to embark on single parenthood.

_I'll be alone_, he thought sadly. Then he looked at Toothless. No, not quite alone. Dragons liked babies and were gentle with them; he could trust the Night Fury for another set of eyes, but that wasn't nearly the same as sharing the responsibility with a wife or husband. Still Stoick had managed-

Oh, no, Stoick _hadn't_, Hiccup thought. For all his father had taught him, the difficult parts he had shoved onto Gobber. The rest of the time, he had tried to keep Hiccup out of sight, barely hiding his disappointment. The only "good" to come of that was it had allowed Hiccup to start off walking his worlds in secret. Even as a baby, Stoick had so rarely shown him off or talked about him that when Gothi had told Stoick to switch pronouns, everyone else assumed they'd been confused. It had worked out, but it wasn't the sort of thing for which Hiccup thought he should be grateful.

_I am never going to put my kid through that_, he thought, pounding his hammer against the heated sword. The only expectation he would set for his child was to be a good person- everything else would be up for him or her to decide and Hiccup would help and encourage as much as he could. His kid would have the childhood he had wanted.

_I thought I was over this_, he reflected, realizing the resentment bubbling inside him. A long time ago, Stoick had apologized for the past and Hiccup thought he had forgiven him. But he felt like the goodwill and respect he'd earned from his father had just been wiped away. In announcing the exchange, he'd tested his father's faith and discovered Stoick didn't believe in him after all.

He finished straightening the sword, sharpened the edge, and moved on to the saddle. Given the scorch pattern, he guessed that one of the students had ticked off their Monstrous Nightmare. It took less than a minute's inspection to determine it was unsalvageable for anything but scrap. Replacing it required measurements from the original dragon. He wrote a note for Gobber saying as much, wondering if the older Viking already knew this. Gobber must if he had taken any time to look at the saddle, but it was possible he hadn't caught a moment yet and Hiccup's message would still be useful.

"Hmm…" he hummed to himself as a thought occurred.

At some point- perhaps sooner, perhaps later depending on the specifics of the treaty- he would establish an academy on Berserker Island. He wanted to make it self-sufficient, which meant not only training instructors, but ensuring the local craft workers could supply their needs. Did he have his old schematics for Toothless' saddle or those of the other veteran dragons? He went to the alcove where he kept his personal projects and started digging through the fireproof-chest that contained his papers. It wasn't organized- anything that was a success tended to stay in his head, so he rarely referred to older schematics- but he eventually found them, smudged and scribbled over with notes.

He should make a clean copies, he decided, to give the Berserker blacksmiths a general guide. And he would probably find other useful schematics as well if he sorted the papers. But a good place to do that was not this cramped room or near the open flame in main forge.

"Hey, Toothless," he called, tugging the chest out of its corner. "Want to help me drag this home?"

* * *

><p>The floor of Hiccup's bedroom was scattered with papers, stacks of them weighted down by rocks and the odd bits of metal he always had on hand- he swore screws and brackets followed him home, because he almost never remembered putting them in his pockets. Going through the papers made him feel nostalgic. He wouldn't say those had been better days- no, not at all- but he remembered his past enthusiasm and determination fondly.<p>

_Hey, it turns out alright_, he wanted to say to his younger self. Or at least, he could have said that a few months ago. Now that wasn't as certain, but he remained hopeful.

"Don't think the Berserkers need miniature catapults, do you?" he asked Toothless jokingly, setting those designs aside. "Oh, the Mangler! That's an old one, from before we met. Why did I have such vicious ideas for stuff when I was a kid?"

Toothless snorted.

"Yeah, I've always been different. Some boys punch each other, I designed machines with rotating razorblades. Can't believe Gobber let me build that one. What happened to it? I'm not sure I want to know."

He flipped through the stack. The next schematic was Toothless' original tail wing. Seeing it, Hiccup hesitated. It was wishful thinking to believe he'd never encounter another injured dragon; their wings were a well-known weak spot. This was something that might indeed be useful to the Berserker dragon academy, but even as far as he was pushing himself to trust Dagur, he didn't feel safe revealing the mechanics of Toothless' pedal. He folded the page and slid it under his bed, securing it with another rock. This design he knew by heart; he didn't need a reference if he later changed his mind.

A knock startled him. He sat up and saw Stoick peering in through the opening at the top of the stairs. His heart sunk- he should have done this at the forge after all. Why had he thought it was a good idea to come home?

"Dad?" he asked, keeping his voice flat.

Stoick opened his mouth, hesitated, then said, "The Berk heir will be first."

The announcement jolted Hiccup. "What? You're that far along in the talks?" From what he'd heard, both parties had agreed to set the terms of the kinship exchange last, after everything else had been decided.

Stoick shook his head. "No. Dagur brought up the point today. He said you'll bear the greater share of the burden in the fulfillment, so yours should be the first born. I agreed."

"My heir…" Hiccup murmured, trying to grasp the implications of Stoick's news. The one Hiccup would keep would come before the baby he had to give up to the Berserkers. He had hoped for that. The order of the children shouldn't matter for the treaty, but he thought it would be easier to leave a baby with Dagur if he already had one in his arms. His child- and Stoick had finally acknowledged it was happening.

"So this means…" he began and stopped, thinking it through. Most of the protocols surrounding a kinship exchange were symbolic, which was why heirs were conceived in the opposite territory. This decision meant that shortly after the treaty was signed, Hiccup would leave for Berserker Island. He would be going with Dagur to the other man's home.

He would be leaving Berk and he wouldn't be back for months, perhaps longer, depending on when he conceived. A good, long break felt like exactly what he needed- a trip away from the madness of everyone giving him reverence, a chance to let Astrid breath freely, a sea between him and Stoick.

Was that last one really what Hiccup wanted?

_One more chance_, he decided.

"This means I'm going to Berserker Island. They'll probably hold a feast to announce the treaty terms and celebrate. Are you… will you come for that? Stay for the first few days? That's the common practice in these situations, isn't it?"

Stoick's eyes wavered and he looked down. Gravely, he answered, "No. I won't stand there and smile and offer a toast to that beast pawing at you. I won't give a speech saying how happy I am to see you toss yourself into the Red Death's mouth. I can't stop you, Hiccup, that much you've made clear. The least you can do is not ask me to watch."

He retreated down the steps before Hiccup could make a reply.

_That isn't what's happening! _Hiccup wanted to shout after him. _I'm not making a mistake! Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's wrong!_

His father was being blunt and hard out of fear- fears Hiccup could end if Stoick only would listen to him.

If Stoick only would listen…

He looked at Toothless. The dragon's face was sympathetic, but he knew his own expression was bitter.

"That's it," Hiccup said. "I give up."


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

"Where are you taking me?" Dagur asked.

"It's not where- it's to what," Hiccup answered, leading him into the woods. It was early morning, giving Dagur several hours until his presence was expected in the great hall. Hiccup would make use of that time. He had a new project, a goal that was essential for a successful trip to Berserker Island.

"Wait, I'm confused. I thought you said we weren't going to start something yet."

Hiccup almost sighed. "There are other things in the world than sex, Dagur."

"You're interested in more than sex with me?"

The question was asked so hopefully and guilelessly that Hiccup flinched. _Thanks for reminding me that I'm a shallow jerk after all. _"Yeah, well, what you said in your tent the other day, it made me think if you're not going to throw knives at me anymore, maybe we can get along."

"Oh, _Hiccup_," he warbled amorously. "Hiiiiic-cup! Or is it Hiiiiic-_up_? Hiiiiiccup."

_And thank you for reminding me that just because you're less murderous now doesn't mean you aren't still loud and obnoxious. _"Why are you saying my name over and over?"

"Practice."

"For- you know what, don't tell me, I don't want to know."

"Well, you won't let me use a pet name," Dagur huffed.

"Huh?" Wait. Since Hiccup had placed a proscription on that, was Dagur trying to get around it by developing weird ways to enunciate his actual name? That was even more irritating than the cutesy talk he wanted to prevent. "Okay, I'll tell you what. You stop doing that, because it is seriously annoying, and I will let you pick _a_ pet name. One. Which I have to approve first."

Dagur's head perked up and he declared gleefully, "Ooo, so many choices! Which do I like best? Tiny Night Fury? I really like that one- and it was your idea!"

"And I will regret that forever," Hiccup said. "No."

"My precious?"

"Oh, for the love of… no! That is creepy," he declared. "Why don't you get back to me on this?"

"Okay. Hiiiic-cup!"

Hiccup growled and shook his head. _I swear if he keeps this up, the first thing I'll do in his bedroom is gag him._

They came to a sheltered glade. Hiccup had selected the site beforehand and their objective was supposed to be sitting in the center of it. Instead, the clearing was empty.

"Oh, great," he muttered, stepping into the area. "What is he doing, chasing a butterfly? He'll do whatever I want except the one time I _ask_…"

"Something wrong, Hic-_cup_?" Dagur asked, approaching him.

"Yeah, two things. First, stop that. Second, somewhere off in the woods- probably terrorizing a bird- instead of right here where I left him is my wayward…"

With a roar, Toothless launched himself from the shadows and pounced on Dagur. The Berserker knocked under him, he growled and snapped his teeth at Dagur's face.

"…dragon," Hiccup finished with a sigh. "Toothless, I _told_ you I was bringing him! You're acting out on purpose."

Dagur didn't seem scared or even startled. Instead, he stared at Toothless with an open smile of admiration. "I don't care how many times I see his mouth, it's still impressive. Hey, Night Fury, do a plasma blast!"

"In your face?" Hiccup questioned and then said sternly to Toothless, "Don't you dare."

This was why he had wanted to arrange this meeting. Toothless' hostility was predictable and understandable, however it was soon going to be a problem. In a matter of weeks, Hiccup would depart with Dagur for Berserker Island and he had no intention of leaving Toothless behind. He didn't want his dragon to become stressed from being on continuous alert, nor did he want to constantly have to coax the Night Fury off Dagur or another Berserker. Friendly terms might be too much to ask, but before they departed, Hiccup wanted Toothless and Dagur to establish a cool neutrality towards each other.

"Toothless, let him get up."

Toothless gave a disgruntled snort.

"You made your point. You don't like him. Nobody likes him, so it's fine."

"Aww, you don't like me?" Dagur whined.

"I like your thighs," Hiccup said and that seemed to please Dagur, who leered. He addressed Toothless again. "Come here, bud, let's ignore Dagur for a moment."

Toothless gave the Berserker one last snarl, then lifted his paws off him. He trotted over to Hiccup, who gently patted his head and led him to the far side of the glade. At that distance Hiccup judged they were out of Dagur's earshot.

"I need your help here, bud," he said. He pressed his face to Toothless' and petted him affectionately. "We're going to have a treaty with Dagur's people soon and part of it will mean I have to go to their island. I want you to come with me, but for that to work, you and Dagur have to get along. You don't have to like him. You can snap at him if he does something to deserve it- he probably will at some point, he is Dagur. But can you give him a chance to behave first? For me?"

Toothless' answering warble was reluctant, but it was one of agreement.

"Thanks, bud. It means a lot to me. Wait here. I'm going to bring him to you."

Toothless sat and Hiccup walked back to Dagur. The other man had his arms crossed, but the look on his face was one of curiosity.

"So, what are we doing here?" Dagur asked. "I was hoping for something romantic- I know, I know, with clothes on- but you brought the Night Fury and he doesn't seem like he'd be okay watching. Is that it? Do I have to fight him so he'll let me mate with you? Prove to him that I will give you strong children? Because I'm up for the challenge."

He made a fist and flexed his arm, puckering his lips as he did so. Then he blew Hiccup a kiss and grinned.

"Where do you get your ideas?" Hiccup asked, baffled and a little horrified. "No! This is a training session. Or it will be if you stop being weird."

"Training?" Dagur's eyes lit up. "I get to fly him? Shoot down purple balls of death from above and watch everyone flee in terror?"

"No and absolutely not. You're not ready to give commands and you won't be learning those things with Toothless. Today, I'm going to teach you how to get along with a dragon."

"That doesn't sound exciting."

"I'm hoping it won't be."

He led Dagur across the glade to Toothless. He wanted Dagur to come to the Night Fury rather than the other way around; Hiccup felt that the onus was on humans to offer their trust and cooperation to dragons first. It was a lesson Dagur needed to learn and that aside, the Berserker had much personally to prove to Toothless.

"Hello, Night Fury," Dagur said with a toothy grin.

Toothless growled.

"Okay, lesson one. His name is not 'Night Fury'," Hiccup said. "Calling him that is like me calling you 'human'. It's rude. His name is Toothless."

"Hmm. I guess that makes sense. But why did you name him Toothless? He's got a whole mouth full of those mashers!"

"Huh? Isn't it obvious? He…" Hiccup stopped, realizing why Dagur was confused. The other man had never seen Toothless with his teeth retracted! "You know what? If you behave yourself, you'll find out."

Stepping between the Berserker and the dragon, he continued, "The first thing every rider has to do is earn their dragon's trust. Yes, we give our dragons commands, but we're not their masters. The bond between dragon and rider is understanding and loyalty and it goes both ways. A dragon is the most faithful companion you will ever have. If a dragon trusts you, they show it by doing this."

He held out his hand to Toothless. Toothless responded by pressing his nose against Hiccup's flattened palm. After all these years, the tingle of joy he felt at that contact hadn't faded. Toothless was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him.

"See?" Hiccup withdrew his hand and stepped aside, leaving Dagur and Toothless staring at each other. "It's too soon for you to expect that, but contact is a way to build comfort. Dragons like touch. Why don't you try petting under his chin?"

Shrugging, Dagur extended his hand. Toothless snapped at him.

Hiccup sighed. "Toothless-"

Dagur pulled out his ax.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Hiccup jumped between them, waving his hands. Glaring at Dagur, he demanded, "What are you doing? Get that away from my dragon!"

"What?" Dagur asked, confused. "He issued a threat. I, as a true warrior, accept his challenge!"

"No!" he shouted, feeling his temper rise. He knew Dagur was being dumb more than anything else, but he wanted to smack the other man for this. "Okay, we are _done_ for today. Go back to your camp and tomorrow _no_ weapons!"

"No weapons?" Dagur pulled out his short sword, now brandishing a sharp object in each hand. "I'll feel naked without these."

"I thought you wanted to be naked around me," Hiccup said snidely.

"Oh." Dagur's mouth rounded. "Yes. Yes, I do." He flashed his teeth, darting out the tip of his tongue. "I'll see you tomorrow, _Hiccup_."

As he turned and left, Hiccup found himself snarling at his back. What an idiot! Was he seriously going to teach that man how to ride a dragon someday? He must be out of his mind. Maybe derangedness was contagious.

To Toothless, he said, "If he shows up tomorrow actually naked, you can bite him wherever you want."

Toothless made a retching sound.

* * *

><p>"Okay, getting you two to get along is going to be more interesting than I anticipated," Hiccup said, "but if I can get my father to ride a dragon, I can get you to stop being a lunatic around one."<p>

"Sometimes I don't think you have the highest opinion of me," Dagur remarked.

"That's another thing we both need to work on," he admitted. "And you can start by demonstrating that you can behave yourself around a dragon."

He took Dagur to the same glade, where Toothless waited seated on his haunches. The Night Fury glared as Dagur approached and gave a soft snarl. It wasn't friendly, but it was an improvement- and a softer reception than Dagur deserved given his own behavior yesterday.

"Let's not try touching today. Let's see if you can be… non-aggressive. I want you to sit, and I want the two of you to look at each other. Talk, maybe. But no threatening gestures, _Dagur_. From either of you, _Toothless_." The Night Fury looked at him in surprise and he retorted, "Oh, yeah, you're not innocent. I expect you to try as well."

"So, it's a staring contest," Dagur said as he lowered himself cross-legged onto the grass.

"It's not any kind of contest. There's nothing to win here."

"There's you."

"Um, no. That's… not how it works. At all."

Dagur stared at Toothless. Toothless narrowed his eyes and stared back. Hiccup watched, questioning the wisdom of this exercise, as this went on for about two minutes. Dagur fidgeted, readjusting himself on the ground.

"So, Hiccup rides you."

Toothless' lips curled back and he growled. So much for no threatening gestures.

Dagur grinned. "He's going to ride me harder."

Toothless reared up, swatting his paw to knock Dagur flat onto his back, and roared in his face.

Hiccup drooped his head. "And we're done for today."

* * *

><p>"It is not about asserting dominance! Toothless doesn't care. He's my friend. His goal is to protect me, so you need to show him that you're not a threat. Here." Hiccup handed Dagur a fresh fish. "Toothless wouldn't let me touch him at first either. You're going to do what I did then."<p>

They entered the glade where again Hiccup had Toothless placed into position. Once more, Toothless regarded Dagur with a growl and look of skepticism.

"Dagur, give Toothless the fish."

Dagur tossed the fish to the Night Fury, who caught it in his mouth and chewed briefly before swallowing.

"Toothless, give Dagur the fish."

Obligingly Toothless regurgitated it, leaving it in a wet pile at the man's feet.

Hiccup smiled. "Now, Dagur, eat the fish."

"What?" Dagur looked at him incredulously. "Is this a prank? Hiccup, I may be deranged, but I have my limits."

"It's not a prank. It's a bonding exercise. I did it, I ate the fish. I've eaten a lot of fish, actually. My advice: quick bite, swallow. The extra slime helps it go down."

Dagur made a disgusted face, but then said, "Well, I would walk through a Fireworm cave for you…"

Unfortunately, as they were talking, Toothless had turned around and just now added a warm extra to the pile.

"Oh. Oh, that is nice! That is really mature, Toothless!" Hiccup reprimanded, startled at the Night Fury's unmistakable gesture. He turned back to Dagur. "He's never done that before."

"Do you still want me to eat the fish?" Dagur asked. "Because I'm going to have to refuse now."

* * *

><p>"Wow. I've never seen dragon nip not work."<p>

* * *

><p>Hiccup tried the "sit and look" exercise again. This time it succeeded, but he suspected this was only because he stood behind Dagur with his hands covering the Berserker's mouth. That had kept the other man from saying something shockingly awful again, and Toothless hadn't wanted to pounce knowing he'd trap Hiccup beneath Dagur if he did.<p>

He'd never had such a difficult time coaxing a dragon and a human to get along. Dagur's behavior was marginal, but Toothless wouldn't give the man a real chance- not that Hiccup could blame the Night Fury. Toothless and Dagur had an aggressive history; he knew the Berserker chief as the man who'd come close to hurting or even killing Hiccup several times.

That was the problem, Hiccup realized. Toothless didn't see the changes to Dagur or Hiccup's relationship with him. The dragon was capable of forgiveness, even in extreme situations. He'd done so with Stoick, but only after Stoick had proven himself by saving them both from drowning. Somehow, a similar demonstration had to be made with Dagur.

Placing himself in danger and having Dagur save him was out of the question. That would be a trick, not truth, and he'd rather not put his life in Dagur's hands- he'd probably lose his other leg if he tried. Perhaps he could make do with something less dramatic, something that showed he now felt safe in Dagur's presence, so it was okay for Toothless to relax, too.

In the glade, he asked Toothless to sit. He told Dagur to do the same, this time turned sideways from the dragon. For this, Dagur didn't need to face Toothless- he needed to face Hiccup, with Toothless having a clear view of them both.

"Close your eyes," Hiccup said. "No matter what I do, don't make any sudden moves."

"Whatever you say, Hiccup. I like it when you give commands," the other man said, giving a happy shudder before shutting his eyes.

_Sleeping with you is going to be really fun or really awkward_, he thought and then shoved the idea of Dagur naked and eager out his head. If he wasn't calm for this, Toothless would be able to tell.

He knelt down in the grass and took Dagur's hand. Feeling a bit silly, his pressed his nose and forehead against the Berserker's palm. Toothless warbled in surprise.

_Yes, that's right, bud. I trust… well, I trust him to do what I want, even if it takes some effort to give him the message._

To show the Night Fury how certain he was that he was safe, he removed Dagur's helmet. The other man shook his head slightly, which seemed a reaction to the suddenness of exposure more than anything. Then, leaning forward, Hiccup cupped his hand against Dagur's face and kissed him.

Dagur responded to that, opening his mouth and reaching his tongue greedily for Hiccup's. Otherwise he kept still, allowing Hiccup to control the moment, to keep it slow and their shared touch lingering. The intimacy tangled Hiccup's stomach into a warm knot; it would be easy to lose himself in this, but he had a purpose other than pleasure. After several moments had passed, he pulled away from Dagur and glanced at Toothless.

The Night Fury stared at Hiccup in shock.

He almost giggled at his dragon's reaction. _I told you about this, Toothless- you didn't believe me?_

"Okay," he said to Dagur. "Now, open your eyes and give me your hand."

It was probably Toothless' stupefaction that kept him still as Hiccup guided Dagur's hand under the dragon's chin to scratch. After that, the Night Fury snapped out of his paralysis and reacted to Dagur's touch with a contented purr.

"Good," said Hiccup. "Finally, we're off to a start."

* * *

><p>"Don't give me that look. Are you judging me?" Hiccup asked, eying Toothless as they walked towards the house. "Well, I'm judging you right back. You think I don't notice how every time we get a new female dragon, she gets nosy with you for the first week? At least I can make an egg with Dagur. What are you trying to do, huh?"<p>

Toothless snorted. Then he made a quirk of surprise as he noticed Hiccup heading for the front door.

Hiccup sighed. "I know. There's something I have to say to him. Maybe the last thing I have to say to him."

He opened the door. It was almost noon, but he still might be able to catch Stoick before his father left for the day. He was in luck- good or bad luck, that he could debate- that Stoick was home and was readying himself to leave. His father jerked his head, but otherwise did not acknowledge his entrance. Hiccup walked to the stairs. There he stopped, turned around, and cleared his throat.

"Dad."

"Now's not the time to talk, son," Stoick said brusquely.

"I don't want to talk. I want to say something and I want to make it quick."

Stoick turned to him with an uncertain and tight look.

"I've come to a decision. I've been thinking a lot about what I want for my child. What I want to give him. And one thing I've realized is…" Hiccup's hand started to shake. He clenched it and then straightened his spine, holding himself rigidly. He'd give away no other sign of how painful this speech was. "…I never _ever_ want him to have the childhood I did. To wake up every day in a house with someone who thinks he's a disappointment. When I come back from Berserker Island, I'm moving out."

He didn't want to know Stoick's reaction. He spun around quickly and continued up the stairs.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

When was the last time Hiccup had stood in the great hall or worn his Gronckle iron armor? Almost a month ago. Nearly a month had passed since he had suggested a kinship exchange- since he had shattered his own secret, revealing himself to both the people he had known his entire life and utter strangers. Now that had finally culminated into this.

This was a formality, Hiccup reminded himself, yet he still felt anxiety frizzling through him. All eyes were on him and he wondered what his people expected. He planned to do only three things: read, nod, and sign. It was his signature that would go on the contract for the kinship exchange, not Stoick's. And after that there truly was no turning back.

_Why does that make me nervous? I made my decision weeks ago. I don't want out._

In the center of the room, the pages of the treaty had been placed on a stand. Hiccup approached the document and made a show of reading it, scanning each line with his eye, the words sliding off his mind like water. That was fine; he had already read the treaty thoroughly several times prior to this. Normally, this sort of ritual would never happen- the chiefs of the tribes would simply sign, with no arbiter needed to approve- but Hiccup had inadvertently tied the legitimacy of the treaty to his status. He had to show that he was in agreement with everything written, or Berkian and Berserker alike would feel uneasy and question if the gods were pleased.

He reached the last line. Straightening himself, he turned to look at Stoick and Dagur. Stoick's face was stone, hard and inscrutable; he did not seem angered or grieved, but there was no joy in his expression. Dagur smiled, but it was a nervous, twitchy thing and Hiccup had a sudden intuition that he was the cause of the Berserker chief's concern. Dagur cared for his people, but he wanted this treaty to please Hiccup as well.

_Am I pleased?_ he asked himself. Yes, for his people and for their future. He nodded his approval and together, the chiefs of Berk and Berserker signed the treaty.

Gobber carefully collected the pages, taking care not to smudge the new ink on the final one, and set another document in its place: the formal terms of the kinship exchange. Hiccup's stomach flipped. Again, he only pretended to read. He knew what it said. In a few days, he would leave with Dagur for Berserker Island. However long he stayed depended upon how long it took him to conceive- but after five months into his pregnancy, he and Dagur would return to Berk and Dagur would stay until the birth of Hiccup's heir. Two years later, it would be the opposite and they would start on Berk trying to create a second baby for Dagur.

It really seemed insane, Hiccup thought, how public this was and that anyone would agree to this, in-between or not. Dagur was deranged, so what was Hiccup excuse?

That it solved so many problems. That he could accomplish something useful, something important with a task he'd been staring down his whole life as a miserable and inconvenient necessity.

_If I have to do this anyway, I may as well save the archipelago while I'm at it._

Hadn't he been the one to decide he needed to do this? A long time ago, Stoick had reminded him that he had other options. Hiccup hadn't wanted that. He wanted a child.

He looked into Dagur's eyes and nodded. Standing side by side, they together placed their signatures on the page.

_It's done_, he thought. His hand started to shake. _I did it. I bought us peace._

"Hiccup…"

He heard Dagur breathe his name and looked towards him. The other man was smiling- not a grin, not a leer, but an actual smile, one full of adoration. Hiccup didn't feel equal to the gesture, but he forced himself to smile back.

_It's fine. Everything is fine now. I've won._

Berkian and Berserker alike cheered.

* * *

><p><em>"You missed quite a party…"<em> Gobber had said the day after Hiccup had proposed the exchange. Hiccup knew he was missing another one now as he retreated from the hall. Soon everyone would be roaring and singing and getting drunk in celebration of the treaty. They were so happy, so sure the treaty would work, because he had validated it. In his head, that seemed like nonsense.

He arrived home and went to his room, where Toothless was waiting. He could fly off and find a nice cove for sleeping, as he had the last time this had happened, but he didn't feel like fleeing. He didn't know what he wanted. He sat down on his bed and reflected.

He was glad that he was leaving Berk, because his life felt like a mess. He'd broken his relationships with Stoick and Astrid- the first had been more fragile than he'd realized and the second was entirely due to his own oblivious cruelty. He regretted both, but Astrid more, because he was to blame and she had deserved so much better from him. The strange thing was, when he thought about it, he hated that he had hurt her and that he had lost her friendship, but that he would never marry her felt surprisingly easy to accept. It made him wonder if Astrid had been right- maybe she _had_ been convenient to him. If that was true, that made things worse. It meant he had been using her even before Dagur had jumped off his boat.

A knock came from downstairs- not on the stairs, but the front door. Not Stoick then. Hiccup tried to think of who else might not be out participating in the revelry. Astrid, but he doubted she'd seek him. Possibly Dagur if he'd noticed and worried that Hiccup had gone, but that didn't seem likely either; since they'd last spoken in his tent, the Berserker had let Hiccup initiate all of their encounters. He got off his bed and went downstairs to answer. To his surprise, it was Gobber.

"I thought you'd be in the great hall with everyone else," Hiccup said.

"Oh, I'll be going back there in a moment," Gobber replied, "but I wanted to see how you are."

Hiccup shrugged.

"That bad, is it?"

"No. This is what I wanted, it's just…" He sighed. "How would you feel if an entire island threw a party because you're going to try to get pregnant? Never mind there wouldn't be a party if that kinship exchange had just been signed by the _daughter_ of Stoick the Vast, would there?"

He surprised himself at the bitterness in his tone. There wasn't a daughter of Stoick the Vast and no one, least of all his father, had ever complained about that. But if she had existed, why would she have been valued so much less than he was? It didn't seem right- wasn't he equal to her and to any man or any woman, whether that person possessed one world or two? This specialness- which seemed more an idea thrust upon him than anything real- isolated him, made him feel more like a thing than a person.

"Hiccup," Gobber said, "what you are is playing a factor, but you're overestimating it. I can't speak for the Berserkers, but for the rest of us, this treaty feels right because you're standing behind it. You're the one who gave us dragons and no one will ever forget it. When you say there's another way, that's why people trust you."

"I wish I could believe that."

"If anyone else had suggested your plan, I'd be more than a little nervous about how it will shake out. But if there's someone who can make this work, that's you."

He smiled wanly. "Thanks, but you're not someone who believes I have powers."

"Actually, I've never said if I do or if I don't- and I never will," Gobber said with a slight grin. "Well, I best be off. Someone needs to get Stoick drunk- the sooner the better. Stop by the workshop tomorrow. I have some things you'll be needing to take with you to Berserker Island."

"I will. Uh… have fun?"

Gobber laughed. "You can count on it."

The older Viking walked off and Hiccup shut the door. He wasn't sure their talk made him feel any better. Now his mind was running through what ifs, things he hadn't had time to ponder before since he had been so busy trying to manage Stoick and Dagur and everyone else.

What if he could have been the daughter of Stoick the Vast? Would that have made his life any easier? No, he thought, he couldn't have done that without being a completely different person. That life would have been a lie. Besides, it wasn't a woman he wanted to be.

He wanted to feel normal in his skin and most days he did. When he was younger, his physical strength and stature had placed him so far below Stoick's and everyone else's expectations that self-loathing would have been easy, but something inside him had refused to let him think of himself as wrong just because of his body. He was different and that was fine; it was a way of thinking he tried to apply to all of himself, but his problems weren't all equal.

He moved and dressed and spoke the way that felt natural to him and so far everyone had seen what he projected, not what he concealed, until he had outright told them the first world existed. Now, he was going to do the most feminine thing possible- and before he had pretended it would be fine because so few people would know, because only his wife and Toothless would see him pregnant. He had considered it as a temporary failure state which he could hide. Could he convince himself that he had been looking at it the wrong way? Could it be masculine- or something that didn't make him less a man? Was that a lie he had to tell himself or a truth he had to create?

He wanted a child, but it made him uncomfortable and even angry thinking of what that mandated for him, that he might have to sacrifice his own sense of self for it. It helped him to look at this like a solution to a problem, to give himself a cause: his duty to Berk, the sake of peace. Other things that he did believe in, that felt right and were unquestionably Hiccup-things. Oddly, he realized, he had no idea how he would have stopped the failure of the treaty if he were a single-world male. The kinship exchange would have never been an option. What would he have done? Married Dagur and become shackled to the other man for life? Maybe, but dodging that arrow that wasn't a reason to be grateful for the first world.

He hadn't chosen what he was, but he decided what he did with it. This was the path he believed was best. He would face it boldly and, if he could, embrace it.


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

"Wow, it's quiet out there. Everyone recovering?" Hiccup asked as he stepped into Gobber's workshop.

"I would be too, if I hadn't had to stay sober for your father," Gobber remarked and then, with a good-natured chortle, asked, "Are you sure your patron isn't Aegir? I swear there's not a drop of mead left on Berk."

"I didn't think I had a patron, but I'm starting to suspect Loki."

He meant it as a joke; he didn't think the gods watched him that closely. Of course, everyone _else_ believed that they did… and, almost sighing, Hiccup decided it wasn't worthwhile to follow this course of thought any further.

"You said you had something for me?" he asked.

"A few things," Gobber said. "Catch."

He tossed a large sack towards Hiccup. From the way it arched, Hiccup could tell it was light and caught it in his arms. Setting it on the table, he undid the string binding it. "What's this?"

"New clothes. The sort you'll be needing."

Hiccup pulled out a shirt, dyed in the shade of green he preferred. He held it by the shoulders and its long material unfurled in a ripple. With a baffled laugh, he asked, "Are you sure this for me? This looks sized to my father."

"Oh, it's for you. Think about it a moment."

He did. Then dropped the shirt in horror and shuddered back from the table. "Are you _sure_ there's no more mead in the village?"

"None for you. We know what will happen," Gobber insisted, waving his hook at him. "Now the other thing…"

This was a much smaller pouch and Gobber carefully slid it across the table. Inside, Hiccup found a mix of dried herbs. "And these are…?"

"A special blend. Family recipe, in fact! They aid fertility. You only, don't give them to Dagur. They'll just mess him up."

"Ahhh… okay." Hiccup closed the bag and, unnerved, gingerly held its top between his pinched fingers. Then he decided he was acting ridiculous- it was time to stop squirming away from this. Hadn't he been the one to decide this was his fate? He cupped the pouch in his palm. "Thanks. I guess I need these."

"Ach, you probably don't, but a little help never hurts," Gobber said. "Same dosage as moonsbane and just as often."

"Okay. When should I start?"

"Now, I'd say. You've got little more than a week before you start trying, don't you?"

"That's true…"

"And remember, once something gets sparked it's you doing all the work," Gobber said. "So in the meantime, you make sure Dagur knows it's _his_ job to put his back into it. Don't let him get away with halves. He fills your cup before he gets to decide it's done. You know what I mean?"

Hiccup had a pretty good idea what Gobber meant and felt his face heat. "Yeah, I do. I'll tell Dagur if he's not measuring up."

"Oh, I think that lad has the measure, but it takes more than that!" Gobber declared, slapping his knee and laughing.

_Are we really having this conversation? _Hiccup questioned in bewilderment. The entire situation suddenly struck him as unreal. What he'd started out desperately denying he wanted, what he had then begun insisting he needed- it was finally going to happen. He was going to sleep with Dagur and it would be only one milestone on this bizarre path he'd never dreamed his life would take.

"Gobber… all the houses in the village… they're taken, right? So someone would have to build a new one if…"

Instantly sobering, Gobber replied, "Stoick told me what you said to him."

That information didn't surprise Hiccup, but he was startled to hear it. He knew that he and his father both confided in Gobber, but usually the other Viking kept what was said in confidence, not even mentioning the conversations happened.

"And I meant it. It's obviously time I left," Hiccup said.

"He doesn't want you to go."

"Really? Maybe he should try saying that to me. Not sure I'd believe him. Everything he's been doing tells me something else!" he exclaimed, frustrated and bitter.

"He's afraid for you, Hiccup-"

"He won't even try to listen and now he's even insulting. It's worse than when I was a kid-"

"About that." Gobber raised his hook. "You poked him right in a sore spot, did you know that? Bringing up your childhood- I thought you knew how he feels about that. Don't you realize how much he regrets it, the way he made things in the past? He's not going to treat your babe the same way."

"I don't know how you can expect me to believe that," Hiccup insisted. "Not with the way he's acting."

"I realize to you this looks like the same situation you were dealing with years ago, but it's not quite. I'm not excusing Stoick. He could be handling this much better. But you're not seeing it for what it is if you think it's disappointment he feels. Listen, you're going to be gone for almost half a year, maybe longer. See how things are when you come back and then decide. Is that fair?"

_No_, he thought. At this point, he felt that Stoick shouldn't need another chance, having already squandered plenty. But he didn't want to continue fighting with Gobber, so he said, "Alright. I'll wait."

"You think I can't tell when you're only saying something?" Gobber chided gently. "I know how Stoick can be and, no, he hasn't been fair. But he loves you. He'll come around, so the question is: when he does, will you be able to forgive him? What do you need- from him and from yourself- for that to happen?"

* * *

><p>"That's why you call him Toothless!"<p>

"Yep," Hiccup said. He lay on Toothless' back, petting the top of the Night Fury's head, while Dagur scratched under the dragon's chin. Hiccup could tell Toothless wasn't entirely comfortable with Dagur- he still eyed the Berserker suspiciously- but he no longer growled on sight and his teeth were retracted.

About time, considering they were set to leave Berk tomorrow.

"Aren't you amazing?" Dagur cooed at Toothless. "A magnificent Night Fury, just like your magnificent little-"

"Uh un. No pet names," Hiccup reminded.

"You said I get one."

"You haven't picked one yet."

"You mean one you _like_."

Smiling, he shook his head. "You're impossible."

And amazingly, even though he had just said it, he no longer meant it. Dagur had become significantly less obnoxious in the past weeks. He still had his wild moments and said embarrassing things, but overall he acted less hyper and wasn't so grabby or insistent about Hiccup's attention. Sure, he still made innuendos, but Hiccup responded to those and hadn't told him to knock them off, so that seemed fair. He had stopped saying the things that had truly made Hiccup uncomfortable- he no longer talked about love.

_But you do still love me, as much as you understand what love is, don't you?_ Hiccup thought with sudden guilt. Was it fair how he was using Dagur? He reminded himself that this situation demanded so much of him and Dagur because of the past Dagur had chosen; they both had to deal with the consequences- political, personal, and emotional. Hiccup had found the happiest solution and Dagur couldn't ask for more than that.

Dagur's voice cut into his thoughts, asking, "So, when do I get to fly him?"

"Huh?"

"When do I get to fly Toothless?"

Beneath him, Hiccup felt Toothless balk. Speaking for himself and his dragon, he answered, "You don't. Toothless is my dragon. When we get to your island, we'll find you your own dragon and I'll teach you to fly with him."

"Okay. I know what I want," Dagur said. "I want a Skrill."

Hiccup didn't know whether to be exasperated or amused, but he certainly wasn't surprised. Patiently, he said, "I'd revisit that choice. Skrills are as rare as Night Furies and Toothless is the only one of his kind I've ever met. You can't count on finding one."

"You forget, I found a Skrill once."

_Oh boy, no, I haven't forgotten about that_, he thought. Did Dagur suspect that Hiccup knew where that iceberg was? It had moved a bit over the years, and during that time Hiccup had tracked it, worried about that Skrill falling into malevolent hands. But Dagur shouldn't even know the Skrill was in the iceberg again. He had been dealing with the immediate effects of electrocution at the time and if he had seen anything, it would have been the Skrill chasing Hiccup and Toothless into the distance.

"That makes it less likely you'll find another," Hiccup said.

"You could find one for me."

Hiccup gave a start. _Could_ Dagur know about the iceberg? Uneasily, he asked, "What makes you say that?"

"You called down a Night Fury. You could definitely call down a Skrill!" Dagur answered excitedly.

Groaning, he thumped his head lightly against Toothless' hide. No, Dagur didn't know anything, this was another "Hiccup is magic" thing. He shouldn't be surprised; Dagur- along with almost everyone else on Berk at this point- had implied he believed Hiccup had powers.

"Okay, let me tell you a story," he said. He slid off Toothless' back and stood. "When I was little, you know that I was _really_ little. I couldn't lift an ax, much less throw one, but I wanted to kill a dragon. So, I made a machine to throw things for me- in this case, a net. And then I paid attention. I noticed that every time the scary purple fire came down, a few moments before that there'd be a screech and then a second when I could see something. So one night, I rolled out my little catapult, I waited for the screech, and I took the shot."

Delighted by the tale, Dagur smiled eagerly and declared, "That's how you met Toothless!"

"That's how I _maimed_ Toothless," Hiccup sharply corrected. "I didn't summon him out of the sky. I shot him and I injured him- and then I took care of him, which is why he forgave me. Everything with Toothless, I _did_. No chanting or charms or anything like that. It was skill and then it was kindness when I realized I messed up. I could never regret meeting Toothless, but hurting him? Every day, that's something I wish I could have done differently."

A sad warble came from Toothless and then, suddenly, the Night Fury pressed his snout against Hiccup's face, awkwardly trying to nuzzle him.

"Oh, hey, bud," Hiccup acknowledged softly, reaching up to pet him. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. I'm okay. You okay? I am. Really, I am."

After a little affection, Toothless was satisfied and backed away. Hiccup looked over to see that Dagur had been studying them both with an oddly wistful expression.

"Before you started teaching me, I didn't realize he was your friend," Dagur said.

"My best friend," he agreed. "That's how it should be with you and your dragon. I'm not giving you weapons, Dagur. Do you understand that?"

"I knew you didn't see them that way. I wondered how that was possible."

"Most of what you know about dragons is wrong. But it's understandable why the war between us got started. We didn't know the reason they attacked us, that they were being controlled or that they could be trained. Someone had to take the first step and try."

"Try with dragons and with… me?"

"Uh…" Hiccup hesitated, feeling awkward. He could see the parallel Dagur had drawn: that, as with Toothless, he was giving the Berserkers a chance to show they had a better nature. "Well, peace is always worth the risk. Toothless taught me that."

Dagur hummed and turned his head aside. He had a slight smile on his face, but his brow was furrowed in thought.

After a few moments, Hiccup remarked, "You being quiet is kind of weird."

"What do you mean?" Dagur turned his head back, giving him a confused look. "What's so odd about it?"

"You're almost never quiet," he said, and then realized it wasn't true. He had seen Dagur quiet. The man had been soft-spoken and pensive during their conversation inside Hiccup's house, and he had been subdued and somber when they had spoken again in Dagur's tent. "I mean, you can be quiet, but you're usually… you."

"Is that a problem?" Dagur sounded worried.

"Er…" Wow, what a question. It made Hiccup feel guilty, realizing he'd said something stupidly callous, and it also made him nervous. He was less concerned about an answer angering Dagur than he was that the other man might take it to heart and do something ridiculous in response. "Remember when you said you wanted me to be Hiccup? I want you to be Dagur. Because, honestly, I'm not sure who that is anymore, but I'd really like to find out."

Dagur tilted his head, still looking contemplative. Then he smiled, lips curling back to flash his teeth. "Well, Hiccup of Berk, sometimes Dagur the Deranged is quiet."

He descended to his knees and took up Hiccup's hand, kissing his fingers. It was a light, tickling touch and Hiccup giggled.

"And when Dagur is quiet…"

"He puts his mouth to other uses," the Berserker answered, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "If I can make you happy, I will."


End file.
